The New York Green Advocate

EcoWatch: Uniting the Grassroots of the Environmental Movement

2012-02-16T10:05:00.001-08:00

When Almost One Million Internet Users Sign a Petition to Say No to the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline, You Know Something is Afoot!

by Paul E. McGinniss

This past week of environmental activism kind of blew me away.

After I read a post by 350.org on EcoWatch, "More than 800,000 Americans Tell the Senate: Stop the Keystone XL", I felt like we were indeed at a watershed moment. More like an eco-Tsunami.

How can one not feel something major has happened when you see Bill McKibben, 350.org founder, write:  ”The last 24 hours were the most concentrated blitz of environmental organizing since the start of the digital age." Wow.

This groundbreaking digital petition drive was organized by a group of more than 30 organizations and businesses with the goal of sending the Senate half a million messages in under 24 hours. Well, they surpassed their goal by hundreds of thousands of emails. Incredible.

And, you know this kind of organized, passionate response is going to grow even more. Next time it's going to be more than a million emails. AIDS activists said correctly: Silence=Death. I guess the environmental movement is far from dead.

As Josh Fox of Gasland fame wrote on Ecowatch this week: "We Won't be Silenced".

The braniac frackers on Capitol Hill made a huge mistake arresting you, Josh. Not just because it was unconstitutional, but because now there are many more of us supporting you!

When you see a coalition of grassroots environmental groups getting together and gathering so many email signatures so fast to tell our elected officials their opinion about anything, it shows all the power of our combined voices. I was one of those emails.

This all makes me think. Just because a herd sticks together or can be corralled does not mean it is a passive herd! It's a big loud "heard". Watch out world because those of us active in the environmental space, in many ways, feel like we are just getting started. You ain't seen nothing yet.

And, FYI: Ecowatch is the most amazing, must read information source about environmental issues. The founder/editor of EcoWatch, Stefanie Penn Spear, is one of my favorite people of all times. (And, we're both fans of NYC's Bubby's!)

EcoWatch is now partnered with Waterkeeper Alliance too. (Shout out to Marc Yaggi, Executive Director of Waterkeeper Alliance).

Marc Yaggi of Waterkeeper Alliance and Stefanie Penn Spear of EcoWatch.

Copyright Paul E. McGinniss 2012

Small Footprint Building Project In Upstate, New York Exemplifies Green Affordability

2012-01-28T05:31:00.000-08:00

By Paul E. McGinniss

Picture above depicts the site for the Building Project in Barryville, NY. The site overlooks the Delaware River - a River that is at the center of a controversy over the detrimental impacts of Fracking For Natural Gas in the region. This pristine region is a source of drinking water for major urban populations living in New York and Philadelphia.

Hi Everyone. So, in the past year I have written about everything from continued devastation caused by the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf and the astonishing film about it, "The Big Fix", to reporting on the brighter side, Green Roofs in Toronto. This post is about something closer to home. Literally. It's about a super efficient eco-loft barn we are helping clients build on the Delaware River in Barryville, N.Y.

This project came to us via the awesome NYC-based Architect, Drew Lang, who introduced us to the amazing clients who wanted advice on how to find a builder and project manager/green building consultant for a small getaway space that could be used as a creative escape from their hectic lives in NYC.

One of the client/owners Jorge, George Abetti and myself overlooking the house site.

This building project involves George Abetti of Geobarns - the gentle genius who I fondly refer to as the Minister of Building. What's cool about George and working with him to build a structure for a client is that he approaches the whole experience with a holistic eye. The process becomes a spiritual group effort that fully involves the client, project managers like us and all the various trades required to complete a structure. As part of a team, everyone learns and grows from their participation. George said in one of his many email missives about his passionate work:

"Even though we have a wonderful design and building system, what we do is only as good as the character and work quality of those who do it. What we are is who we are...and we are truly blessed with extraordinary people who devote their hearts to the work we do...something which no amount of pay or praise can compel in that this can only come from within...as an act of grace."

George discussing with Jorge the best place to situate the structure considering the slope of the land, access point and views of the river.

George sitting down to sketch out his concept for the structure on site after discussing site issues and desires of the client.

One of the best things about the way George works, besides his "be a good steward" advocacy, which by the way, echoes the philosophical - advocacy aspects of the wonderful Living Building Challenge - is Geobarn's innovative diagonal framing technique that George invented. This framing technique uses less wood than conventional wood framing while being stronger engineering wise. It's timber frame style so there is no need for any interior walls or support structure leaving how you design the interior space incredibly open, adaptable and flexible for future needs or space planning. The lumber used is also sourced regionally (Vermont) and comes from sustainably managed forests.

The structure is 600 square feet per level and is built into a small hill. The front entry is on the second level (see picture on left to see view of house from front).

The house in the back has a balcony which will overlook the Delaware River. (Picture on right shows the back of the structure.)

Another green aspect to this project is the installation of an advanced treatment septic system by Eljen. The system uses much less ground space than conventional septic systems and is ideal for sites where there is a limited amount of space for septic fields. The plastic parts to the system are made with recycled materials. The septic effluent, upon leaving the septic tank, is filtered through a special Bio-Matt™ geotextile (fabric). According to Eljen: "Open air channels within the GSF Module support aerobic bacterial growth on the Module's geotextile fabric interface, surpassing the surface area required for traditional absorption systems." After passing through the Bio-Matt, the effluent moves through a layer of sand. So, when the effluent hits the ground soil, it is already pre-filtered."

Tom, the Engineer, measuring the site and determining location for the septic system and well for the site plan.

Here are some highlights of other things we are doing to make this eco retreat as sustainable as possible:

*Blown Cellulose done by BPI Certified Contractor
To minimize heating and cooling load, the structure will be well sealed. Collaboratively, it was decided to use blown cellulose insulation as opposed to spray foam because the cellulose material is from recycled paper and it does not contain any petrochemicals. (Spray foam insulation contains petroleum based polyols. Even most "biobased" foam insulation products such as those from soy are made only partially with biobased oils. They, too, are made mostly from petroleum based polyols.)

*Efficient Ductless Mini Split Heat Pumps for HVAC
Trying to reduce or possibly eliminate the use of propane/natural gas or oil heat, the clients are considering the use of mini split heat pumps which offer heating and cooling. (The electricity required to run the mini splits could eventually be offset by solar PV.) This option was identified after a team conversation about how many anti-fracking advocates still use propane to heat their homes despite their concern over how the gas and oil industry adversely affects the environment. (Propane gas is one component of natural gas and is also derived from the oil distillation process.)

While this structure is not built under any particular green building program, it is interesting to note that the Passive House BKLYN uses mini split HVAC. This is a real indication that it is a good option if you want to head toward Zero Energy Design for a living structure.

*Super Efficient LED lighting scheme to reduce energy consumption
The electric scheme for the house is being analyzed to strategize how to reduce power consumption by immediately installing super efficient lighting including LEDs and solar powered lighting requiring no power draw at all.

Photo of the foundation work being done before the walls are poured.

Photo of foundation from back side of house after the walls were poured.

We'll post more info when the framing and construction of this project starts up again in Spring.

If anyone wants to build an eco retreat upstate, please contact us here at The New York Green Advocate. ( info@thenewyorkgreenadvocate.com )

We have a great design-build team ready to help you build your green dream or renovate and retrofit existing structures to be more energy efficient, healthy and resilient. Importantly, we can assist you in sorting out the many renewable energy options that can help you head towards a Zero Net Energy life. Should you need assistance in identifying and analyzing land on which to build, my New York State Licensed Real Estate Brokerage, Paul E McGinniss, can provide this service.

Copyright Paul E McGinniss 2012

Transition Movement Takes Off In Upstate New York: My Hometown Starts Transition Town Initiative

2012-01-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

Marbletown, Ulster County, New York area becomes the 108th official Transition Initiative in the USA!

Instead of waiting for answers to the challenges facing our region and world at large, a group of committed Ulster County, New York residents, inspired by the worldwide Transition Town movement and its founder Rob Hopkins, is asking questions and forming a community initiative to come up with ways to make Ulster County more resilient and sustainable.

Transition Marbletown joins an ever increasing network taking root in diverse communities, countries and cultures around the world - all joined together with common goals. For the passionate people that started Transition Marbletown, the initiative is sure to be a personal journey, but also a journey for the community as a whole. Rob's ideas of Transition and personal resilience are intertwined with society. He writes: “The concept of resilience works on a range of levels, not just that of community resilience. Personal resilience is vital to sustaining both our own and our initiative’s momentum.”

Rob Hopkins, founder of the world wide Transition Town movement. Rob is a man at the center of world dialog about how to create a life resilient to changes and organizing each household member and each dwelling to fit into a daisy chain of positive energy that makes up a sustainable, self sufficient community.

Below are excerpts from an hour long Skype interview I did last year with Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Town movement. Rob said during my interview with him: “Transition is an invitation to be part of an experiment on a historic scale with people all around the world who are trying to figure out what to do at this really crucial point in history to make places we live in more resilient and less vulnerable.”

Rob Hopkins in the UK with his Green Community Heroes Award from EnergySavingTrust.org

EXCERPTS FROM INTERVIEW WITH ROB HOPKINS:THE NATURE OF TRANSITION

Paul: There was a good piece called "The End Is Near!(Yay!)" about Transition in the New York Times where they followed a Utah town that was doing a Transition and it was a really well done piece I think.

Rob: Yes.

Paul: The article described how the town really reacted to the Transition initiative and it seemed that it really did come together in a really interesting way.

Rob: Yes, absolutely.

Paul: When I read that article, the writer in the New York Times said: “Transition dismisses Al Gore Types as Techno optimists.” Do you? What does he mean by that and is that true? There's a lot of stuff I've seen about the Transition and a lot of the Transition ideas. Some people seem to think that it's a little bit anti technology.

Rob: Yeah.

Paul: But, I don't personally think that's the case. You even address this in the Transition Handbook, saying it's not anti technology.

Rob: It's not anti technology, but technology is also not a silver bullet, you know. So, actually, there are technologies that we have, the technologies that we already have, and, so, if we decide we are not going to do anything and wait around till somebody invents a car that runs on toothpaste or something, then, actually, we are going to be waiting a very very long time. And so, also, I think what it's really about, is no matter how impressive our phones are or how fast our broadband is that actually at the end of the day the things that matter the most are our core needs which are met in terms of food, energy, building materials, that kind of stuff. And, actually, at the moment those things are carted half way around the world from wherever they can be found cheapest. And, so, we would argue that, yeah, of course, there is a role for technology and, actually, what we see with Transition is, in effect, an international movement of communities that are re-localizing, but are using the web and all of the resources that are available to share what they are doing.

So, it's a sort of global movement of communities localizing, but sharing it globally. It's quite an interesting juxtaposition of things made possible by technology. But, we don't have a kind of blind faith in technology. I think a lot of things that are put forward at this point are trying to convince everybody that business as usual will be possible. That it's just the case that we are still able to have economic growth, globalization, food being brought and materials being flown around the world, wherever we can find them cheapest, and we are somehow going to run the whole thing on soda power instead. So, what we argue is that actually it's the full implication of peak oil, of energy descent, actually taking climate change seriously and that we are going to need to rethink the basic things we do, the scale on which we do things which will still embrace technology, but will be technology focused on addressing the right questions.

Transition Brazil

WHAT IS SURVIVABILITY? HOW TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE?

Paul: I like that piece you wrote, “How Survivalists Got it All Wrong.” Can you comment on that article?

Rob: Well, I guess it's really, particularly in that U.S. context, there is often that perception that fleeing to the hills and living in a bunker with four years of baked beans is an option. And, actually, I think that I've never written anything on the Transition web site that has generated so many comments than that piece. I had all kinds of people emailing,entirely from the States I think, that were slagging off and saying you don't understand, you're naive. They said—and, of course, when everything breaks down and you come knocking on my bunker door, I won’t be letting you in! There was a link to one survivalist web site that said: “What's better, a gun or a club? A gun, because you can use a gun as a club, but not a club as a gun!” And, I thought – my god! So, for me, I suppose the point of that piece was to make the distinction that Transition is about – it's a compassionate response. It's not a selfish response. It's not a response that goes – Uhmm. Everything is me, mine, bring it all and protect it. Hide away and shut off from everybody else. If it's just about everything breaking down and people living in bunkers with years of baked beans, I don't really want to be around to see that.

Paul: Do you think that is more of a North American response?

Rob: Absolutely.

Paul: In other places of the world, people aren't so bunker mentality?

Rob: I have not really encountered it from anywhere else I think. I think it's very much a kind of particular thinking within that kind of peak oil kind of community. You know, people like Matt Savinar who has a web site which forwards people info about peak oil. And, the idea of peak oil for them means, inevitably, the irrevocable crash and collapse of absolutely everything. It's really a North American idea. And, the reason why I wrote that piece, “How Survivalist Got it All Wrong”, is because it struck me as being something really quite dangerous actually. And, quite alarming. Well, people do what people want to do, but it struck me that within that kind of peak oil thinking, the peak oil mindset, there also needs to be something which we are saying that is different. Well, actually, there is another way to do this which is about rebuilding community, assuming there is good in the people around you...assuming that actually they have skills and insights and connections that you can all benefit from sharing. And, so there, that was the reason for writing that article really.

Paul: Well, have you talked with the American chapters of Transition U.S.? Are the American chapters getting flack from “survivalists” or are people really embracing Transition here? I have to talk with the head of Transition U.S., Carolyn Stayton, a little more. But, do you get the feeling that people in the U.S. are being a bit less Armageddon or paranoid about things and getting more into the sharing concept?

Rob: I think the people involved with Transition; I think there's some extraordinary things happening in the U.S. There are some very active initiatives and some really great projects starting to emerge and, yeah, I think it's really fascinating to see actually. I mean one of the great things about Transition is it's very much about a viral thing where people take and make it their own wherever they are and it blends into and arises from the culture and it arises from the place. It's really exciting to see that happening and to see that happening in the U.S. Which is, of course, a quarter of all the resources are consumed in the U.S. So, if Transition is really going to have an impact, the U.S. is really where it really needs to take hold.

Transition Town, Cambridge, Participants in a course called Grow Your Own. Photo by Dave Fox

ROB'S INSPIRATION TO BECOME A PERMACULTURIST

Paul: I read an interesting thing you wrote about a trip to the Hunza Valley in Pakistan in 1990. That trip seemed to have really affected you in some major way. What did you see there that made you start to think about permaculture? What were they doing? It sounds like a fascinating trip.

Rob: It's just one of the most beautiful places you have ever seen really. And, they had a kind of agricultural system. There are lots of books you can read that go back to the first people that went there in the 20s and 30s and describe that kind of closed loop agricultural system where they – the whole thing is irrigated off a glacier -- where they have a very exact way of moving the water around through channels where they have slate in one place and blocking the water off so it goes somewhere else. And, the mixture of fruits and nuts and vegetables and grains. It's renowned for everybody living till they are a hundred and leaping around like mountain goats. It was somewhere I was very touched by. There was a sort of quality to it which I thought was quite amazing. And, I didn't know anything about permaculture at the time. And, I was traveling with an Australian permaculturist who kept talking about permaculture and I didn't know what he was talking about. And then, when we got to Hunza, he said, this is permaculture! So, it really stuck with me. I think if I had learned how to say 'Will You Marry Me' in Hunzanize, I would have stayed there!

Paul: Is it completely self sustaining? Were they so cut off they had to completely self sustain, they just sort of lived without trading a lot? Is that what it was like there?

Rob: Yeah. But, they were just on that really interesting cusp and opening up to trade. So, they were just, you were just starting to see empty bags of nitrogen fertilizer in the corner of the fields where they had this system (before) where everything was composted and everything was recycled -- human waste was recycled and composted and they had the most incredible fertile soil. Then development was coming along and saying – what you need is nitrogen fertilizer! And, they were going on okay. And, it was just in that really fragile cusp. And, no one was saying, but this is fantastic, it works! We should go for development around this without chucking out what was so special and completely irreplaceable.

Recent Meeting of Transition London

STAY TUNED FOR NEWS ABOUT TRANSITION MARBLETOWN in Ulster County, New York

Click Here for Further Info About Transition Marbletown

Designer and architect, Eliel Saarinen, echoes the thinking of Transition: He said: “Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context -- a chair in the room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city.”

Copyright Paul E. McGinniss 2011

Collapsible Plans: Jason Mraz & His Song Collapsible Plans Featured in The Big Fix: New Film About Gulf Oil Spill

2011-11-27T09:39:00.000-08:00

"The Big Fix" Blows Audiences Away With Shocking Truth About The Spill That Never Went Away

Check out the Video below of Jason Mraz singing "Collapsible Plans" on a Street in Europe. The song is featured in the film.

Click on Here to Buy Tickets to see "The Big Fix" in NYC from Dec 2nd-8th and take part in "The Big Fix" NYC "7 Nights of Awareness" happening at the AMC Village 7 theater after each 6 pm screening. The "7 Nights of Awareness" will involve interaction with the filmmakers and leading environmetal advocates from around the country who will participate in a post-screening discussion with the audience.

NYC Film Premier of "The Big Fix": The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Is Still Very Much on the Horizon

2011-10-28T08:46:00.003-07:00

Wide Coalition of Environmental Advocates To Gather for "7 Nights of Awareness" To Conclude Each Screening of "The Big Fix" at AMC 7 in East Village December 2nd-December 8th

Posted by Paul E. McGinniss

Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell-Tickell uncovering the truth about the oil spill in the Gulf.

Disclaimer: I am a huge fan of Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell-Tickell, the dynamic duo behind the Sundance Award winning documentary, "FUEL". I met them when they drove cross country from California in a green vehicle caravan and arrived to premiere "FUEL" in NYC. Josh and Rebecca are also the producers - directors of an astonishing new film, "The Big Fix". They weave together beautiful, haunting imagery of the Gulf coast. There are spot-on interviews with a diverse assortment of people and plenty of helpful, historical information - all the while uncovering the dirty truth about the BP oil spill.

The BP Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, 2010. Most of us thought the spill was "cleaned up" and the problem "went away". Unfortunately, to a large extent, the entire event has been supplanted in the media/mass consciousness by other major news stories and events from around the world.

After watching "The Big Fix", it is hard to conclude that things are so rosy down in the Gulf. In fact, the bottom line message from this well-documented film is that the BP oil spill in the Gulf never really went away. And, in fact, the oil is still spilling into the Gulf. Not to mention, the absolutely horrific fact is that the chemical dispersant, Corexit, which was and is still being used in the Gulf to "clean up" the oil, is an extremely toxic substance. The film reports that Corexit is wreaking havoc on the health of the people and marine life in the Gulf. It's the kind of "this can't be true" fact that is so terrible, you don't want to believe it, but must.

Film Poster for the Josh Tickell - Rebecca Harrell-Tickell film, "FUEL", which won the Sundance Award for best Documentary in 2008.

When you see and hear how the the Gulf residents captured in "The Big Fix" have been affected by Corexit and the spill which keeps on spilling, beware, it is both heart wrenching and frightening. When you see and hear Gulf residents driven to tears by this environmental tragedy, you want to cry with them. Rebecca Harrell, herself, was seriously sickened by Corexit during their filming in the Gulf. It is, literally, sickening to watch this toxic crime covered up.

And, when you listen to Marine/Eco-Activist, Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of champion of the seas, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, state so emotionally, "We're being lied to", you realize that the "cover up" depicted in the film is not the rant of uninformed "trouble maker activists", but a real cover up. We all need to unify our voices and join Rebecca and Josh and say - Enough is Enough.

Watch this video from Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society which investigated the BP Oil Spill one year after it occurred.

When Josh and Rebecca emailed to tell me they were opening the film in NYC at the AMC 7 in the East Village and wanted to create "7 Nights of Awareness" in the theater, post-screening, I immediately jumped on board to help build the events and gather as many people and groups in NYC together to see this watershed film. Our purpose for the "7 Nights of Awareness" is, yes, to divulge the truth about what is going on in the Gulf, in addition to stimulating a dialog that will foster positive action and create solutions which will help our planet become less dependent on fossil fuels, more healthy and truly sustainable.

Despite the negative events depicted in the film, the filmmakers make a point to highlight, towards the end of the film, an endearing bayou local. He wears a yellow t-shirt and dons a Mardi Gras-like necklace across his tanned neck while installing solar panels on the metal roof of his modest home. Josh Tickell narrates at the end. He urges the audience to "unite and take a stand" and deal with the truth and get on with implementing clean energy solutions that are at hand. Tickell concludes, powerfully, asking: "In a struggle for true justice and a better world, where do you stand?"

Being solution-based, Josh and Rebecca, currently, have an additional film out, FREEDOM, which focuses on sustainable and renewable energy options already available which will enable us to be free from the use of oil and other sources of not-clean energy.

To date, the inspiring and passionate people and groups that have come on board for the "7 Nights of Awareness" include: NYC-based Fabien Cousteau (grandson of Jacques and son of Jean-Michel Cousteau) and founder of Plant A Fish; Rocky Kistner from the NRDC; Stefanie Spear and the new web site/newswire EcoWatch; Justin Bloom and colleagues from Waterkeeper Alliance; Dan Miner, founder of Beyond Oil NYC; New Orleans native and NYC-based architect, Drew Lang; Paul Mankiewicz, The Gaia Institute; Margaret Lydecker, Green Drinks NYC and Denise Katzman, EcoEdifier™ and Anti-Fracking activist; Stephen Del Percio, GreenBuildings NYC and Peter Fleischer of Empire State Future.

Any one interested in knowing more about this important film and the events we are organizing in NYC, please contact me asap to discuss. A full press release will be sent out in the next few weeks with additional details.

Please save the dates of December 2nd to December 8th and tell as many people as you can to come to the December 2nd - 8th AMC 7 screenings of "The Big Fix" and meet the inspiring Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell and the passionate NYC people mentioned above - all of whom are making a difference and helping to transform The Big Green Apple into being even more ecologically sound and resilient.

Copyright 2011 Paul E McGinniss

Contact Paul E McGinniss at: Info@PaulEMcGinniss.com

Check out the trailer to "The Big Fix" below.

International Living Future Institute asks: "What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?"

2011-10-12T06:33:00.001-07:00

by Paul E McGinniss

Jay Kosa, Community Coordinator of the Living Building Challenge, at the International Living Future Institute, emailed me recently to tell me about the Understanding the Living Building Challenge Workshop which is taking place in NYC on Thursday, November 3, 2011.

Jay said: "We at the Living Building Challenge have been a fan of your blog dating back to your "Living Building Challenge 2.0 Certification Plays Lady Ga Ga to USGBC LEED's Madonna" piece. We're making steady headway with the pursuit of Living Buildings in the Northwest and around the world, and we'd really like to cultivate some discussion about what the city of New York could accomplish through the Challenge."

Cool. Bring on the challenge! What's great about the Living Building Challenge is it is a challenge. And it's part of a growing number of international eco-educational groups taking root in the Big Apple - groups like the Transition Town movement and Kitchen Gardeners International - social media networks which are spiraling out and reaching people online and also on the ground, block by block, trading information and creating social consciousness.

Picture of the Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Lab which was built under the Living Building Challenge standard. Conceived as a high school science building dedicated to the study of alternative energy, the new Energy Lab at Hawaii Preparatory Academy functions as a zero-net-energy, fully sustainable building.

What's appealing about the Living Building Challenge is how much it talks about building not so much just from a structural or technical standpoint but also from a philosophical, even metaphysical standpoint. For instance the challenge is described as: "A visionary path to a restorative future" And it is "at once a philosophy, advocacy platform and certification program". The challenge clarifies: "It defines priorities on both a technical level and as a set of core values, it is engaging the broader building industry in the deep conversations required to truly understand how to solve problems rather than shift them."

Despite how abstract the Living Building Challenge might sound, it is definitely performance based. Thus, while having specific, measurable, technical goals, it "leads teams to embrace regional solutions and respond to a number of variables, including climate factors and cultural characteristics."

And speaking of being performance based - The International Living Future Institute has just announced that it unveiled a Net Zero Energy Building Certification program. This new initiative will surely help foster the idea that all buildings should "perform" and be self sustainable, much like the Earthship model has tried to emphasize, and like the Passive House concept emphasizes as well.

Training and certification programs don't come super cheap these days of "Occupy Wall Street", when lots of the world is just managing to tread water. And there are more and more "green" educational and certification platforms to consider - running the gamut from the NAHB to USGBC. For some, the Living Building Challenge Workshop is a bit pricey, with the cost in the hundreds of dollars for the day, but for building professionals and those serious about green building, it is well worth the cost.

The NYC workshop takes place November 3rd at Acuity Brands Lighting, 5 Penn Plaza, 24th Floor (8th Ave between 33rd and 34th), New York, NY 10001.

It looks like the "Living Building Challenge", which grew out of green building initiatives in Cascadia, Washington State, is taking off internationally with projects emerging around the globe. Currently there are active programs in the United States, Canada and Ireland, with discussions occurring in other countries for future international launches.

In July 2010, The Living Building Institute of Ireland was established by a founding circle of local practitioners to oversee the operation of the Living Building Challenge in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The Institute reports: "It is interested in expanding its program in countries around the globe that have an interest in promoting truly sustainable design and construction practices"

Anyone reading this blog post who has an interest in seeing the Living Building Challenge program in their country can contact the Living Building Challenge to begin discussions. And if you start a challenge anywhere in the world, please let me know as I would love to follow the story and see where it goes.

Copyright Paul E McGinniss 2011

Woodstock Film Festival Premier of "Cape Spin: An American Power Struggle"

2011-09-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

EPIC BATTLE OVER "CLEAN ENERGY" BECOMES ENTERTAINING FILM PLATFORM EXPLORING UPS AND DOWNS OF AMERICA'S ENERGY FUTURE

By Paul E. McGinniss

Film poster for new must see film.

A thought provoking, almost surreal new feature documentary film called Cape Spin: An American Power Struggle cleverly captures the monumental ten year battle over Cape Wind, America's first proposed off shore wind farm planned for a 25 square mile area in the cherished blue waters of Nantucket Sound in Massachusetts.

This epic, often bizarre battle over the Cape Wind project is a red white and blue microcosm of America's struggle toward a green energy future. Cape Spin has a great soundtrack containing rock, pop, cabaret and Broadway style music. The film has engaging editing and colorfully depicts the rich, transcendent natural beauty of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Sound, all the while showing the down to earth, comical, even ugly side of human nature, as the people depicted in the documentary take sides on a dramatic battle raging within their own "idyllic" community.

Cape Spin has a real ying yang pull, taking the audience from one side of the controversy to the other, showing how complex and layered the developing green energy revolution is, with unlikely alliances forming for and against the proposal to build one hundred and thirty, 440-foot wind turbines five plus miles off the coast of Massachusetts.

Pic Robert Kennedy Jr. on Nantucket Sound as he holds a demonstration against the wind farm. Following Kennedy's boat is a Greenpeace led boat demonstrating for the wind project and against Kennedy. Pic Courtesy Cape Cod Times.

An article in Cape Cod Times called Strange Boatfellows Clash in Nantucket Sound gives one an idea of what strange bedfellows this battle has made. Indeed, some of the eye opening revelations and ironies captured in the film is that Jim Gordon, the seemingly good intentioned developer behind Cape Wind, made a fortune in not so green and friendly gas fired power plants, some of which he still owns. Meanwhile, legendary environmental activist Robert Kennedy Jr is strongly against the clean energy project while the notorious activist group Greenpeace has taken the side of big energy developer Jim Gordon against the Kennedy eco icon.

Anti Cape Wind Demonstrators. Pic Courtesy Stage Coach Improv

What's wonderful about Cape Spin is that it manages to leave the viewer agreeing with and then questioning the logic and motives of both the anti wind farm camp and the pro wind camp. At times, the citizen activists in the film, both privileged and not - upper, lower and middle class - actually seem like characters trapped in a fictional drama; one gets the feeling "what a long strange trip it's been" for the subjects who jump out at you from the screen with an intensity and passion captured eloquently by the filmmakers who seem to be invisible and almost like all-seeing flies on the wall.

From left to right: Producers of Cape Spin Josh Levin, Libby Handros, Director and Producer, Robbie Gemmel and Director and Editor John Kirby. Pic Courtesy Woodstock Film Festival

I had the pleasure of seeing the film festival premier of Cape Spin at the Woodstock film festival and attend a lively Q & A with the film's directors and producers. After the Q & A I had the opportunity to interview one of the directors, Robbie Gemmel, the passionate young filmmaker who was the genesis of the film. Robbie was inspired to tackle the subject by a professor while an undergraduate at Emerson College in Massachusetts. Gemmel even went so far as to get a job on a fishing boat in Nantucket Sound to study the subject of Cape Wind. For him the making of the film was a battle all to its own because of all the barriers that come with creating an independent film with more passion than deep pockets.

Pro Cape Wind Demonstrators. Pic Courtesy Enterprise News

Before seeing the film I was hell bent on getting Robbie to tell me what side he took in the Cape Wind skirmish, since the previous press for the film proclaimed it was the filmmakers' objective to be objective and not take sides in the controversy. Despite the successful efforts of the filmmakers not to take a stand, I imagined, surely Robbie had formed an opinion by now.

Robbie said when I spoke with him: "I can honestly convince myself either way - to be for or against the Cape Wind farm. I think both sides have a lot of valid points and there are reasons to build it and not to build it. But in the end I ultimately think the controversy is really good for the course of conversation around renewable energy development and for the awareness it's brought to where our current energy is coming from and the challenges we face to build large scale renewable energy sources."

I also met the film's other director and editor of Cape Spin, John Kirby, who became part of a creative team that produced the film. By meeting and speaking with John along with Robbie, I saw how they, even amongst themselves, debated the merits and downfalls of Cape Wind and still to this day continue the debate by questioning the up-sides and down-sides of the Cape Wind project.

John Kirby elaborated: "This Cape Wind controversy is happening all over the country. There are solar projects that are in contention, there are other wind projects in contention right here in New York. So if there is a lesson to take from this controversy it is - don't wait for a developer or the federal government to come in and say - this is where we are going to put this new energy facility - go ahead and build your own. It belongs to you - the wind, the sun, this belongs to you. That to me is the message to Cape Spin- power to the people."

The Colony Cafe in Woodstock, New York, hub for the Woodstock Film Festival. Pic Courtesy the Woodstock Film Festival.

So what does this writer think about Cape Wind and whether or not it is an appropriate project in that location at this specific time? After seeing the film I was not so sure what I thought. It became clear to me that maybe in eco cinema one not need take a firm position to still get a clear pro environmental message across.

As I told the one of the producers of Cape Spin, Josh Levin, when we spoke at the Colony Cafe in Woodstock, part of me is RFK Jr who has come out swinging against the project. And part of me is Greenpeace which has come out vociferously promoting the project, ironically taking the side of the project's developer Jim Gordon, who as I mentioned the film points out, made a fortune on gas fueled power plants and stands to make another fortune on the Cape Wind project if it ever gets completed.

Picture Wind Farm in Denmark

Offshore wind farms are fairly common in other parts of the world, such as Denmark, where large portions of their electricity are generated from wind and other renewables. But as Cape Spin masterfully depicts, here in the USA, a whopping $70 million dollars has been spent by the opposing sides fighting for and against our country's first offshore renewable energy project. One could imagine what good $70 million dollars would do toward making the the Nantucket Sound region more "renewable" with energy efficiency and small scale renewable power than thrown out the window in a surreal fight that seems as absurd as it does endless. But like the team behind Cape Spin points out, despite the enormous amount of money spent, with no clean, renewable energy generation to show for it, the controversy has created awareness about the issues and that helps.

In the end, no matter what you think about Cape Wind, and the film about it, what Cape Spin really becomes is a sly educational tool showing the do's and don'ts about how to move forward to a clean energy future. Cape Spin asks more questions than it answers, raises both red and white flags and shows all the gray within the green.

Pro Cape Wind Image via Greenpeace

To further educational goals, the producers and directors of the film are collaborating on a multimedia educational platform called the Electron Project which was inspired by the Cape Wind controversy and the decade long journey of the film and its subjects. The Electron Project will show citizens across the country, exactly what amount and type of energy they are using and where it comes from. And it will offer resources to show people regionally how to become more energy self-sufficient.

As Robbie Gemmel explains: "The idea is that the Electron Project will accompany the film and as we roll out the film we are going to educate people about where their energy comes from and get them involved in it. We want to make an interactive process and connect audiences to local resources so they can live more sustainably and help develop a cleaner energy future for our country"

The Woodstock Film Festival stated appropriately "Cape Spin was “Fueled by a satiric ‘revolutionary’ soundtrack, and is a gripping and entertaining study of eco-capitalism and grassroots democracy.” One puzzled looking woman in the film says simply yet profoundly at one of the many heated, over-the-top demonstrations about the wind farm: "It's interesting to see the public process unfold at these events - this is what America is all about."

Anyone who gives a damn about giving a damn should check Cape Spin out.

Copyright 2011 Paul E. McGinniss

Check out the trailer to Cape Spin below.

Cape Spin Trailer from Rebirth Productions on Vimeo.

Green Security: The U.S. Military Fights Climate Change and Declares War on Fossil Fuels

2011-09-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

by Paul E. McGinniss

Picture Courtesy Pike Research

When thinking of protecting the environment and fighting climate change, one hardly thinks about the U.S. Military. But in fact, according to a new study by Pike Research, "Increased access to clean and reliable energy has become a leading priority for the U.S. Department of Defense and military agencies around the world."

In a ground breaking speech at a 2010 Energy Security Forum in Washington, D.C., Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke like a leading environmental activist: "We are in fact seeing evidence of climate change’s potential impacts on our security." Mullen's inspiring speech sounded more in line with the NRDC than Exxon/Mobile, as Mullen stressed "how important it will be to take a holistic view of energy security and, more broadly, our overall sustainability." He emphasized how vital it is we all focus on these issues: "Americans around the country are starting to connect the dots between energy, security and our future."

It's refreshing to think there's a whole new way to look at green army fatigues, now that the U.S. military has declared war on use of fossil fuels.

Ray Mabus, the Secretary of the U.S. Navy, and a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, proclaimed he wants 50 percent of the power for the Navy and Marines to come from renewable energy sources by 2020. Just a few renewable products our forces are developing: hybrid ships and extended range hybrid jeeps, uniforms incorporating thin film solar textiles which charge devices, tents with thin film PV woven into them, rollable solar panels, portable wind turbines and hydrogen fuel cells. There's even plans to take exhaust from vehicles in Iraq to make drinking water for troops, and efforts to cut back on water needs by recycling shower water.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said about the military's push toward environmental and energy security in the new York Times: "There are a lot of profound reasons for doing this, but for us at the core it’s practical”

The fact that U.S. forces in oil rich Iraq are becoming paragons of sustainability and lessening dependence on natural resources like oil and water, should make the rest of us stand at attention and listen. Average citizens should hear the green bugle call and take note that military forces are going green, so fast, with such a sense of urgency, and start thinking about how we can do the same. As Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said: "while leadership at the top certainly matters, this can’t be just a top-down effort. True innovation doesn’t work that way. "

Importantly, Chief of Staff Admiral Mullen emphasized that green military initiatives are not just about fighting battles in some inhospitable, far off bases, in dangerous territory. Mullen stressed: "We can also make improvements closer to home. For instance, each of the services is bringing several bases up to a net-zero energy standard within the next few years." Like a conservationist, he said: "These efforts will not just achieve savings in the long run but will ensure the environment around our bases is cleaner and healthier for our people and their surrounding communities. At Twentynine Palms, California, for example, a new micro-grid controller will make the Marine Corps’ largest base an even better neighbor by reducing its energy consumption, diminishing its carbon footprint and better enabling it to be independent of California’s power grid when needed."

With renewable technology prices coming down and the cost of other fuels going up, getting a little green security has never made more sense or been so affordable. And our military's support of the environment and renewable energy technology will be a help to us all. According to Pike Research: "Military investment in renewable energy and related technologies, in many cases, holds the potential to bridge the “valley of death” that lies between research & development and full commercialization of these technologies. As such, the myriad of DOD initiatives focused on fostering clean tech is anticipated to have a substantial impact on the development and growth of the industry as a whole. "

Having a sustainable military certainly gives the whole idea of winning the battle for clean energy and fighting climate change a whole new meaning. I think it's time we all get drafted into the growing army of green and be part of this fight to protect ourselves by protecting our planet. As Admiral Mullen said in his rousing speech: "Every American must play a part – changing how we live, how we work and perhaps most importantly, how we think about these challenges. "

Copyright Paul E. McGinniss 2011

Solar Decathlon 2011: Shout Out for Two New York City Teams Competing in the Upcoming U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon

2011-08-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

by Paul E. McGinniss

The public takes a first look at the solar-powered houses on the first day of the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. Photo Credit: Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon takes place every two years and challenges 20 collegiate teams from around the globe to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective and energy-efficient. Anyone wanting to check out cutting edge home design and how to live 21st century style needs to check out what the student teams are up to. Two NYC teams are competing in this year's decathlon which takes place September 23rd to October 2nd on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

This New Yorker is excited to have two local student teams going down to Washington D.C. to build their prototype homes on the National Mall; even if neither team takes first place in the competition, they will be winners for New York and show the rest of the world their innovative, smart dwellings and highlight NYC as the hot bed of green activity that it is has become.

Students and faculty from the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture and the Grove School of Engineering, of the City College of New York, comprise the culturally diverse and interdisciplinary called: Team New York.

One NYC team participating is called Team NYC and is from the City College of New York. Team NYC at CCNY is interdisciplinary, comprised of creative minds from architecture, engineering, and the arts. The students, were engaged in all the project phases, from initial concept design to through to the fabrication of cabinetry. Their Solar Decathlon entry is called “The Solar Roofpod.” It is designed for the most underutilized real estate in the city: the flat rooftops of existing mid-rise (4 to 10-story) residential or commercial buildings.

Picture of the “The Solar Roofpod.” which was designed by Team New York, comprised of students from the Spitzer School of Architecture and the Grove School of Engineering at The City College of New York

The Team NYC web site states: "These roofscapes offer tremendous potential as living space because of their direct access to solar energy, ventilating breezes, and nourishing rain. Team New York’s Solar Roofpod is designed to enable eco-conscious urban dwellers to live lightly, as stewards of a more resilient urban environment, cost-effectively producing solar power and heat, cultivating roof gardens, and retaining and recycling stormwater."

The second NYC team participating in the upcoming Solar Decathlon is a team comprised of students from a consortium of New York institutions and was designed through a collaboration between Parsons, The New School for Design, The Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy at The New School, and the Stevens Institute of Technology.

The Parsons, the New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology Solar Decathlon team (Courtesy of the Parsons the New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology Solar Decathlon team)

The house by the consortium is called Empowerhouse, and will consume up to 90% less energy for heating and cooling than a typical home in Washington, D.C., with its use of passive house technologies.

By working in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity, the team has arranged so Empowerhouse will eventually be moved and serve as a future residence for a family in the historic Deanwood community of Washington, D.C. The team web site explains: "Empowerhouse embodies Habitat for Humanity's vision that all people deserve safe, comfortable, affordable homes. The compact 1,000 sf one-bedroom structure showcases the whole-life approach while being sensitive to the existing urban fabric. The shape, building envelope, window placement, and shading were optimized through feedback from energy modeling. In addition, sustainable materials reduce maintenance costs and create a healthy environment."

A computer-generated rendering of Empowerhouse, the house of Parsons, The New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology (Courtesy of the Parsons the New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology Solar Decathlon team)

New Yorkers should consider heading down to D.C. to see all the homes that are part of the 2011 Solar Decathlon and support our teams from NYC. This writer is headed down to D.C. for a few days on the convenient, low cost bus that leaves from Chinatown in NYC and costs only $35 round trip.

You can hop on the bus in the morning and by afternoon meet the Solar Decathlon students as you tour the Solar Decathlon homes which will be on he National Mall between Sept 23rd and October
2nd.

These clever, inspiring students are leading our city and country by building with their own hands, in a spirit of collaboration, homes that are designed to generate all their own energy, be affordable, practical and beautiful. They are showing us that clean energy for all is possible right now, and not at some far off place in a fossil free future. I for one am inspired to "hop on the bus" and head down to D.C., eager to learn from all their hard work.

Copyright Paul E. McGinniss 2011

Nick Rosen: Man on a Mission

2011-07-23T06:28:00.000-07:00

Help Fund Nick's New Film About Worldwide Movement Of People Going Off Grid

by Paul E. McGinniss

Confession: I am a big fan of Nick Rosen. He's raising money to support a new film called "Off the Grid and on the Cloud" and everyone should check out info about it on indiegogo and support the film. It's actually planned as a series of stories about a dozen efforts around the world to "go off grid" and become totally self reliant.

I just had the chance to do a phone interview with Nick while he was in the UK after getting back from China where he is filming a documentary on billionaires in China. When we spoke Nick reflected on the dramatic changes going on in China. Despite increased awareness, he explained how little is still understood by the general public about what is happening there and how it affects us in the west. He said: "A lot of people talk about the great Chinese economy and how it's going to be the number one economy in ten years time, but basically it seems for everybody like a black box."

Nick also reaffirmed what I have seen reported elsewhere, that despite the massive environmental problems resulting from China's incredible, fast paced development, the Chinese are actually at the forefront of renewable energy technology production and use of renewable energy. Clearly, development in China is interconnected with the world economy and environment. Nick reported: "In a way China is a very interesting example of the sort of reason that we are all going to have to make a radical change in our lifestyle."

Luckily, Nick's journalism and exploration of the Chinese economy, which is delicately intertwined with ours, will help shed some light on the good and bad of what is happening there, and help us determine the best steps for the world to take, collectively, as it is hurled into the 21st century.

During our dialog I asked Nick what he meant by the title of the film "Off the Grid and on the Cloud" and he said: "On the Cloud is partly about using mobile Internet - also about floating free as a cloud."

In 2003, the power grid failed in NYC, and residents were left without basic services and commuters were left stranded unable to travel. Picture Courtesy LightRailNow.org

Nick has written two books about living off the grid. His first was: "How To Live Off Grid", which was about people in the UK. His second book on the subject was: "Off The Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government and True Independence in Modern America", which is about people in the USA. Interestingly, his idea of writing both these books grew out of him being in NYC during the huge blackout in 2003 where power in many parts of the USA shut down. A few years after experiencing the massive power failure in NYC, Nick drove across the UK and then the USA to document the stories of people who have gone off grid.

The book "Off The Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government and True Independence in Modern America" has an excellent history of the American "back to the land" movement that started back in the 1960's and brings us into the present time. There's a great chapter in that book too which explains how the power grid came into being in the first place and the entire book is worth buying just to open
your eyes with the history of the grid and how and why it came to exist. (Another great book to read that explains a lot about the history of the grid is Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future.

Nick Rosen also started an excellent web site - www.off-grid.net that is creating a global community of people who want to go off grid or already are. I read it regularly and consider it a must read.

Picture of pedestrians in NYC literally taking over the Brooklyn Bridge in attempts to get out of the city during the 2003 Power Failure. Because of subways and trains being shut down millions of people trying to exit the city blocked traffic causing massive traffic jams. Picture Courtesy LightRailNow.org

Personally, my goal is to become independent from the grid in the near future and it's totally inspiring to see people across the world all unifying in the common goal of being more independent and more resilient. The "grid" was invented only 125 or so years ago so this avant garde concept of living "off grid" i.e. not relying on centralized energy sources (or food sources or other fragile networks) is really, going back to the future.

To conclude, I have to add, I'm excited that Nick will be part of my upcoming Ebook, Survival Cool, which includes information from stimulating talks I've had with some other really awesome people like Sylvia Earle, Fabien Cousteau and Ray Kurzweil, all of whom are part of the change agents who are actively trying to make the world a better place.

Copyright Paul E. McGinniss 2011

Click on the image below to see info about how to support the film "Off the Grid and on the Cloud" and help support this film which will capture the worldwide movement to go off grid.

City Inspired: Green Seeds Sprouting Up Throughout Toronto

2011-06-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

Picture of James Thoem from Walk T.O. (in white T shirt) with my awesomely cool fellow journalists on top of the Green Roof at the Robinson Building in Toronto. Left to Right: Francisco Frausto, James Thoem, Raquel Manero and Lisa Davis.

I had some doubts about the greenness of Toronto while entering the city for the first time from Pearson International Airport. I was invited by Tourism Toronto with four other journalists to cover "Living Green In Toronto" and the weather on arrival was gray and dreary. As I was whisked by car into the city, the blah weather seemed to be an appropriate back drop for the many new, generic, glass box condo towers I saw on the Toronto horizon that my driver melancholicly told me popped up in Toronto in a rash of development over the past ten years. At first glance upon entering downtown Toronto, thinking about the former, natural waterfront landscape lost to growth, there seemed to be a kind of urban sterility to the skyline and the highways. On the thoroughfare entering Toronto, amidst all this new development, I hardly noticed Lake Ontario off in the distance or observed any trees or vegetation anywhere.

View of Downtown Toronto from Ward Island, an aquatic oasis that is part of a growing park system within the city.

Luckily, first impressions are not always correct. I learned during my recent trip that Toronto is, step by step, transforming itself, bringing nature back to urban development. A range of green initiatives are, literally, growing from the ground up, as well as being initiated from the top down. One transformative initiative coming from the top down is Toronto's Green Roof By Law, the first local bylaw in North America to require a green roof on all new development. Another city initiative by the Toronto Environment Office is the Eco-Roof Incentive Program which provides grants to promote green and cool roof retrofits on Toronto’s existing industrial, commercial and institutional buildings. (50% of green or cool roof costs, up to $100,000, can be given to building owners who take the plunge.) According to the Toronto Environment Office, the City is also actively planting trees. Torontonians have planted over 400,000 new trees over the last seven years with a goal to double Toronto’s tree canopy to 34% coverage.

Looking at Toronto Skyline from a corner of the Green Roof at the Robinson Building located at 215 Spadina Avenue in downtown Toronto.

From the ground up, grass roots sustainability initiatives include those by Transition Toronto which is part of the world-wide Transition movement. One of the community programs Transition Toronto offers to help make Toronto more green and resilient is a workshop on organic gardening and permaculture. It includes hands-on teaching that introduces permaculture theory while showing how to apply the concepts to your home or community garden.

So, despite perhaps not being so obviously green upon first glance, by the end of my trip I found myself inspired by the green wave washing over Toronto. And, with so many more trees being planted on the ground and so many more green roofs coming to the city, Toronto could blossom fully into a lush, green urban landscape that could rival the sustainability of any of the other world cities which are also trying to balance economic growth and development with a healthy, sustainable, locally-powered resiliency.

Picture of the Grande Dame, Fairmont Royal York, in the heart of downtown Toronto. This famous hotel was one of the first buildings in the city to grow food on the roof. It has bee hives along with an herb and vegetable garden on a 14th floor rooftop.

What's cool about Toronto's green wave is that visitors to the city can easily explore and see first hand what is going on. Here are two suggestions for green minded trekkers heading to Toronto:

**Fairmont Royal York Hotel offers an Urban Forest Excursion package that includes a walking tour with arborist, Kent Nielsen. It's a fantastic way to learn about different kinds of trees and the importance of caring for them, all the while enjoying the streets of the city. The package also includes a tour of the hotel's rooftop herb and vegetable garden on the 14th floor of the hotel. (FYI: There are awesome views to enjoy.)

**And, if green globe trotters want to see some of the inspiring green roofs popping up in Toronto, you should definitely seek out James Thoem at Walk T.O. He does a great Green Walking Tour and can get you up on hidden green roofs with spectacular views of the city. James was passionate, yet fun, and by the end of the tour we all felt like we had met a new school chum. Check out the video of James below as he talks about green roofs in Toronto.

Copyright 2011 Paul E McGinniss

Toronto Green Finds: Blog BEC Green Is A Must Read

2011-05-27T04:04:00.001-07:00

Could the Jetson Green of Canada be BEC Green?

Photo of Royal Ontario Museum, (ROM), Toronto

Before my journey to cover "Living the Green Life" in Toronto, I discovered, while surfing the web, a kindred spirit by the name of Cathy Rust. Cathy is author of the excellent blog BEC Green. The tag line for BEC is "Locating Green Building Materials Just Got Easier" and it's full of insight and information that made me an immediate fan.

While in Toronto, fellow journalist, Lisa Davis, Cathy and I had the most invigorating conversation with Andrew Knox and Martina Rowley from Transition Toronto over some java.

Cathy Rust of BEC Green across from ROM in Toronto.

Thanks to everyone who helped facilitate an amazing trip to Toronto,especially SeeToronto, Melanie Coates and the Fairmont Royal York.

There are many amazing green things happening in Toronto. Anyone looking for a cool place to go should check out this multi-cultural city on the shores of magnificent Lake Ontario. Look forward to my next posts about Green Roofs in Toronto. I'll also be telling you more about the bee keeping at the hotel, Fairmont Royal York, which is part of a network of creative Toronto locavores harvesting honey!!!

Melanie Coates, Director of Public Relations for the Fairmont Royal York, in her bee keeping suit as we head up to the 14th floor roof where the bee hives are kept. One of the honey bee hives on top of the Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto is called "Honey Moon Suite" and the views are sweet as well! Bee keeper Melanie reported that the Fairmont bees even socialize with bees tended by a nearby opera company.

Copyright 2011 Paul E McGinniss

Musings on Earth Day 2011: Man Shops Globe vs Low Impact Man

2011-04-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

Is it Possible to be an avid LOHAS Consumer and a diehard LOCAVORE at the same time?

by Paul E McGinniss

Barbara Kruger, Untitled (I shop therefore I am), 1987
photographic silkscreen/vinyl

THE EARTH DAY 2011 INVITE

Last week on Earth Day I left the bucolic countryside of Ulster County, New York and attended a media lunch hosted by Ted Ning and LOHAS at the restaurant, Rouge Tomate, in NYC. Rouge Tomate is a soaring, elegant space hidden just off bustling 5th Avenue in the East 60s. Barneys Men store is across the street, a place where you could easily spend 400 dollars on what are, basically, sneakers. Just to give a non-New Yorker a sense of the territory.

I'd been to Rouge Tomate before - the first time for the swanky Eco-Luxe happening, a luxury off shoot of the more pedestrian national eco event series called Go Green. If you had to explain the difference between Go Green and Eco-Luxe, I'd say Go Green was more New York Post and Eco-Luxe was more Wall Street Journal - same focus of "going green", but different economic strata and spin. Underneath the consciousness raising, both of these green events were essentially about shopping. And, I wanted to mention this because the concept of green shopping is at the heart of my current reflection.

So, I was happy to head back to Rouge Tomate again. Despite being a native of New York City, I chose the refuge of living upstate in Ulster County, NY--land of post 911 NYC refugees who have fled the hyper-tourist consumerism of the ever-expanding Big Apple. As a “noveau townie”, I still love hopping on the low carbon footprint, everyman Trailways Bus from crunchy New Paltz to enjoy a splashy day out with my ex i.e. New York City.

William Burroughs once said about heroin, (and I paraphrase), which I think really applies to New York City: "Doing heroin is like being in a relationship. Even if you break up with your lover and don't see each other for a long time, when you see them again, in the back of your mind, you know you might just end up sleeping with them again.”

So, my point in telling you all this is this. Ever since moving upstate to the Hudson Valley and becoming somewhat of an obsessed enviro-journalist, green-truth-seeker-of-all-things-on-how-to-have-no-impact-and-save-the-planet, I have been in a conundrum of sorts. Let me explain.

Image of poster for the film "No Impact Man." The story revolves around Colin Beavan and his family's attempt to live as much as possible without consuming all that modern society has come to rely upon.

THE EARTH DAY CONUNDRUM: ON THE BUS OR OFF THE BUS?

Standing on the asphalt parking lot at the somewhat dowdy bus station in New Paltz, on my way to the LOHAS media luncheon, I'm thinking of Ken Kesey's line from "The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test": On the bus or off the bus? I'm waiting for the bus. To NYC. Happy to get out of Bumbletown--as my friends in Long Island call upstate NY. (Actually, for them, anything north of Central Park IS upstate.) On the bus I decide to get a little “light” reading in, namely an article entitled “Temporary Recession or End of Growth” by famous Peak Oil prophet, Richard Heinberg. (Heinberg is on the list of people I plan to interview for my book "Survival Cool", so I needed to brush up on his thinking.)

Heinberg proposes that we can not shop and consume our way out of the current world dilemma and, in fact, continuing to consume like we do now, no matter how "green", is not remotely sustainable. The opening of the text I read on the bus is: "Everyone agrees: our economy is sick. The inescapable symptoms include declines in consumer spending and consumer confidence, together with a contraction of international trade and available credit. Add a collapse in real estate values and carnage in the automotive and airline industries and the picture looks grim indeed."

Picture: Book Cover for "Pipe Dreams" which is “dedicated to the people of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey who are linked by a post-Soviet oil pipeline." The haunting photos in this book explore the negative impact the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline has had on the region.

Heinberg- a die hard locavore if there ever was one – goes on: “Thus a high priority must be placed on the building of community resilience through the preferential local sourcing of necessities and the maintenance of larger regional inventories, especially of food and fuel.”

As I read his exquisitely argued text, essentially an attack on much of modern culture and commerce, (I am not sure Heinberg thinks there is a difference between modern culture and commerce), I pause and think about what is going on in upstate New York, where I live, and elsewhere and around the country. There is a whole back-to-the-land/back-to-the-garden kind of migration. There are more and more people like me who have tried to flee the rush rush of modernity for something a tad more simple, a tad more affordable on both economic and stress related levels. A tad less consumer focused,as well,I hope. I keep musing on all the people who author/advocate Nick Rosen writes about in his excellent book, “Off the Grid”, people who want to set up a life system where they have the basics covered, people who are secure even if laid off, even if peak oil makes many things we now take for granted unaffordable...people thinking of how to be safe and secure even if Fukushima happens here....

Book Cover for Nick Rosen's new book - a must read for anyone who wants to be on the pulse of what is going on in post-peak-oil America.

The final stretch into Manhattan requires a descent that takes our bus down the tube (tunnel) and under the Hudson River before being hurled into the canyons of New York City. Paradoxically, it's more like a take-off than a splashdown. I always liken the experience to being catapaulted into the future so fast we don't even realize it is happening, the Singularity , as Ray Kurzweil calls it.

My head is spinning, no, swimming with the idea of hob nobbing at the expensive and luxurious Rouge Tomate. But, as I start to salivate on chilling with the media elite invited to LOHAS' shin dig, there is that gnawing feeling in my gut about the compound in the woods. That current obsession I have; I can not get it out of my head or ignore. The fact that what I really want to do with all my heart is create a grid-connected but grid-independent community that grows its own food and generates more energy than it needs without fossil fuels, a community that is removed from mega malls and strips malls and shopping centers or anything even remotely resembling anything “retail”. A place, though, that stays connected and has its own servers connected to independent satellite channels and even has flying robot drones that look like real birds which circle above to keep watch on the compound from above. A magical, secure, secluded place that will protect me from strife and literally change my life.

As my bus pulls into the Port Authority, Heinberg's text goes on and I hear it as if this mad max academic is reading to me: "A case can be made that dire events having to do with real estate, the derivatives markets, and the auto and airline industries were themselves merely symptoms of an even deeper, systemic dysfunction that spells the end of economic growth as we have known it."

SO WHAT DOES END OF GROWTH MEAN FOR THE LOHAS MARKET AND FIFTH AVENUE, NYC?

So, I get to the Big Apple and all I can think about is if the world is going to destroy itself if we don't stop shopping so much and end growth AND what is going to happen to 5th Avenue and all the luxury shops? It would be just my luck that just as I could afford luxury it would be gone. And, if growth ends, what is going to happen to Rouge Tomate? From my readings on the bus I gather Heinberg thinks that ending growth could mean endless recession. Everywhere. But, what are the alternatives?

Now, all this intense economic theory should have been my sole and primary concern while walking through the 21st century streets of Manhattan to Rouge Tomate. And, until recently, there were semi-quiet streets, even in midtown, on which deep thoughts could be indulged. However, now, walking the streets of New York is somewhat of a battle, not because of crime, but because of congestion. I had to pay close attention to defend against getting run over by a double decker bus, or the more difficult to avoid groups of tourists or being clipped by bikers both in and out of the bike lanes multiplying in every city like New York. Considering the incredible, astounding amount of human beings on the street before me, I really needed to stop thinking about Heinberg and sophisticated economic theory - which I barely understood anyway - and pay attention to the dangers at hand.

I weave my way through the current bursting-at-the-seams insanity of New York. I walk across 42nd street and up through Times Square. It is teeming with throngs of people from all over he world. They are eating and buying and walking and spending time and money and talking on their phones and texting and moving like one large organism in unison. I wondered in amazement whether these individual "consumers" of the brand that is New York realized that THEY were part of an unending, unified sea of breathing consumption.

I laughed at myself, now in control, walking like the New Yorker I am. Surely, I was NOT part of this consumption machine, was I? No way Jose Cuervo. I was a lone enviro commentator trying to make sense of the world at the dawn of the 21st Century. NOT. Despite my “neo Thoreauvian” Walden Pond sincerity, I absolutely had to marvel at the astounding amount of screens and moving images before me. So much for the endless trees of the Castkills and Adirondacks! Ha - this was human nature at its finest! Before me was a digital forest, whole buildings as TV screens – block after block of virtual reality merging with the street reality. As I pass through the madness of Times Square, the organism continues. In Central Park there are more crowds, unending crowds, all vying to take the right picture of themselves to send through the atmosphere to friends back home. Look! Here I am consuming New York!

As I get closer to Rouge Tomate, off 5th Avenue, I wander past the Apple Store thinking I could cruise in there and look at the latest iPad which I have my eye on. Lo and behold the store is literally too crowded to enter. No more people could physically get into the store. It was like the ark was so full not one more pair of animals could get on board to be saved from extinction. Too hyper to wait to get into the APPLE wonderland, I continue on, like an amoeba circulating in the blood stream of a huge all encompassing entity. Instead of checking out the Apple technology, I end up killing some time perusing the latest, as David Bowie would say, "fa fa fa fa fashion" at DKNY and ARMANI, art gallery-like shrines to "feel good looking" shopping.

THE LOHAS MEDIA LUNCH

At Rouge Tomate, almost first thing, I meet Ted Ling--Mr LOHAS, as he calls himself. Ted was as cool as an organic cucumber mask, in a good way. You could tell he was master of his game. His resume almost seems eco fiction to me. Some excerpts from his bio: international expert and lecturer to CEOs on “green” i.e. LOHAS consumerism. He's, naturally, an outdoor enthusiast, his family developed a nonprofit that helps impoverished women in Vietnam and Guatemala through micro credit financing. He's studied Chinese, in Asia. Lived in Japan where he was a ski coach during the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. I mean, you couldn't make this stuff up if you were a Hollywood screenwriter and coming up with the back story for a green wonder boy! And, here's part of his bio close to my heart: Ted's a member of a community supported organic farm where he gets his meals, he recycles and composts to reduce family waste and lives in a green built home powered by solar.

Ted Ning, otherwise known as “Mr. LOHAS". Ted has been the executive director of the LOHAS Forum, executive editor of the LOHAS Journal and www.lohas.com and is the epicenter of all things LOHAS. He is a strategist, key trend spotter and guru of the expanding $290B LOHAS marketplace who teaches effective communication strategies to businesses on LOHAS consumers and the integration of LOHAS values into corporate cultures and personal lives. (Via Lohas.com)

As the mini crab cakes pass by, Richard Heinberg and Peak Oil is the farthest thing from my mind. I have a quick chat with Jack Walsh from ECOBonus.com (Penny Wise Planet Brilliant) which is a new incentivized shopping system where you can get points and rewards for eco conscious purchasing choices. He tells me that they have a relationship with the well respected GoodGuide - a credible web site that gives you the LOHAS lowdown on whether green products are bxxxsxxx or not, a kind of "Cradle to Cradle" Consumer Reports.

As the artful appetizers glide before me, my mind is racing for story ideas. It is a media lunch after all and I'm thinking, as my grandmother used to say, "There's no Free Lunch." A few crab cakes later, I'm introduced to Susan Alpin from Bambeco, (Hot Style for a Cool Planet), purveyor of products made with sustainable materials in a sustainable way. I check out the catalog for Bambeco. I'm thinking my friend, Nan (The Mistress of Hospitality on Long Island who calls upstate Bumbletown), would absolutely adore the Bambeco organic cotton tablecloths that had intricate weaves and color designs, fabric art that would make any meal a feast for the eyes.

As I sipped an intoxicating green mint tea concoction, a beverage that was sure to be anti-oxidizing something, I forgot about about melting ice shelves, Libya or the fact that I lived within 50 miles of a major nuclear power plant. I forgot about the latest bloodbath in Syria and the robotic spy drones that looked like real birds circling over my yet-to-be-Fukushima-proof compound.

For the luncheon I sat at a table with, among others, Caroline Chin, Director, Integrated Solutions Digital, Whole Living. We chatted a bit about Martha's green venture with KB Homes: a venture that got some criticism from certain green enviro commentators for being a bit of green washing. (I do not particularly agree, because if anyone can help sway the masses to build net zero energy homes, it's Martha.)

Picture of Net Zero Energy Concept Home called KB Home GreenHouse™: An Idea Home Created with Martha Stewart. Image courtesy Builder Magazine Concept Home

At the table I also sat next to Jenny Cross, Global Sustainability Director for Mohwawk Industries, one of the sponsors for the event. Mohawk makes many products including rugs and flooring and was one of the many corporations out there that had people like Jenny working full time on how to be more sustainable and profitable at the same time. I told Jenny I wanted to do a Skype Q & A with her about sustainable business practices and product development at Mohawk for "Green Real Estate Daily." She happily agreed to talk with me after I got back to the garden, back to the country and continued my Skype search for all things green and sustainable.

Thus, by the end of the LOHAS lunch, hidden behind the exclusive walls, mere steps from Central Park, I managed to completely forget about the looming doom and gloom and end of growth concept, the end of glorious unending shopping. I forgot about "The Long Emergency" as James Howard Kunstler would describe it. I forgot about gas heading toward $5 dollars a gallon and global warming. In fact, the enthusiasm and forward thinking of one of the sponsors I met helped to sway me towards the positive. Steve Davies, Director of Marketing & Public Affairs for NatureWorks LLC, provided hope for my post-peak-oil worries as he heralded the development of a new bio plastic venture called Ingeo. (Ingenuity from plants, not oil.)

Upon leaving the fancy, eco chic restaurant, my mind was at ease, momentarily. Half way back to the Port Authority, I was back to clawing my way through the hungry tourist throngs, maneuvering around tiny "Earth Day NYC" booths scattered haphazardly around Times Square, booths almost invisible in the ocean of consumption. Once again, I was happy at the prospect of returning to Bumbletown and disappearing into the woods.

Photo Jeff Greenbery, Courtesy NYC & Co.

BACK ON THE BUS: THE LOHAS vs LOCAVORE SHOWDOWN: Does one or the other really have to win?

So, yes, I am back on the bus. On this leg of the proverbial journey I decide to
reread parts of "Beautiful and Abundant" by Bryan Welch. Bryan is a contributor to the dialog about how to grow this little planet of ours up, so to speak. He lives on a farm all the while running Ogden Publishing which issues, among many titles, "Mother Earth News."

Bryan says in the book: "Abundance is healthy. Excessive consumption for consumption's sake is a kind of pathology." Aha! I start thinking. Maybe there is a healthy a way to consume. Maybe I don't have to worry about 5th Avenue. Maybe we can have abundance without cutting off our Rain Forest nose despite our Dolce and Gabbana meets Lady Ga Ga Polaroid glasses face.

As I get lost in this must read book, I realize that Bryan Welch is indeed addressing the same concerns as Richard Heinberg. Bryan, like the peak oil worry warts, was also looking at the kind of eco conundrum we are in. Welch says in his book: "As our economies are now structured, we depend on population growth. The rule is so deeply ingrained in our economics that it's seldom acknowledged. As population grows, so grows the demand for housing, food, automobiles, refrigerators, furnaces, Tupperware, movie theaters, restaurants, airplanes, hotels, computers, toys, clothing, shoes and jewelry."

Toys, clothing, hotels, theaters! OMG,Bryan was talking about New York City. NYC. The Big Apple. All that wonderful abundance. Welch's book washed over me and was a kind of antidote to the Peak Oil paranoia I felt on the way down to NYC. Bryan Welch was talking about the same thing as Heinberg,but in a different way. Welch speaks about how to solve the conundrum: "We love to climb. But, the first step in our journey toward true sustainability is relatively simple. If we are to form the global consensus, we will need to support sea changes in human attitudes, in economics, and culture, then we need to visualize, as individuals, and as a species, successful outcomes."

Image of ceramic product found in Cyprus during an episode of Sundance Channel's TV show Man Shops Globe.

VISUALIZING SUCCESSFULL OUTCOMES: WORLD IN A YOGA POSE

So, there I was lost and then finding myself on the bus. I started to think I was beginning "to get the conundrum" of the avid LOHAS Man Shops Globe vs Locavore showdown. From what "Beautiful and Abundant" seems to be saying, maybe, there does not have to be a showdown between shopping and end of growth. Sustainability is a new way of living that we have to find together. We are not sure what the answer is yet, but we are now asking the right questions. Maybe I don't have to choose between being an advocate of the LOHAS approach and that of the die hard - I'm freaking out -the-world-needs-to-stop-shopping-before-it-drops hermit in Walden 2.0.

Now I am thinking - thank God I don't have to abandon fashion to be a peak oil activist locavore off gridder. I mean, the anti consumerism - head - to the commune -sixties were cool, but my God that awful hair. (Not to mention the bell bottom pants!)

As the bus left New Jersey and barreled northward toward the Catskill region, I thought about Bryan Welch's advice to visualize the future. And, I visualized the change that I needed to make. I saw myself at my neighbor's Yoga Studio. I visualized that yoga pose where you stand like a tree on one leg and balance with your hands behind your head.

Then, I visualized the world as if it was a person doing yoga. Yes, that was it. We need to all visualize the world in balance and doing its own kind of yoga. It was like what Bryan Welch said: "The First step toward sustainability is relatively simple." Just like yoga is so simple. You can do yoga just by moving and breathing if you know the stances and poses. It is that simple.

But, then, the secret shopper within me starts to grin. Surely, if I am going to do yoga again, I'll need to get a new yoga mat. And, while I am at it, I'll need a really cool t-shirt made of bamboo, dyed organically. I mean, if I am gonna sweat that much, I want to look good. Who wants to look like a schlep when pointing your backside skyward in a downward facing dog? (Hey, that god like guy up there wearing the Prana outfit is pretty hot. And, I love that backpack with the solar PV on it!)

Why should I feel guilty because I want to do sun salutations and stand on one leg while ordering some new things via bluetooth. I mean, I'm sure even the Dalai Lama has more than one of those awesome robes he wears. He must with the travel schedule he keeps. (I do wonder if he considers the carbon footprint of his jetting trails.) And, he surely must have an iPAD by now to keep in touch with his followers at the KTD Monastery in Woodstock, near where I live in upstate New York.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Dharamsala, India, on April 22, 2011.

SILENCE OF THE GREEN LAMBS.

As I race through New Jersey and the glamour of the Upper East side fades away, I stop to ponder one last time. Am I cornucopian or dsytopian? I realized then, even if momentarily, that I didn't care anymore if my green glass was half full or half empty. Do I even have a glass? (Maybe I lost it at the party and picked up someone elses instead.) I don't have to choose between being a No Impact Man and a globe trotting shopper of all things cool a la the TV show Man Shops Globe. I want my vegan flourless chocolate cake and I am going to eat it too, thank you very much.

As Exit 18 on the New York State Thruway neared and I was getting closer to my Bumbletown, the many green voices inside my head began to quiet down. Despite all the contradictions and opposite ends of the spectrum that all the obsessed greenies like me were looking at the world from, it occurred to me that all these people were looking at how to make the world a better place. I mean, I'm not naive. Lots of these "voices", these change agents, were making money or wanted to make money. We all have to make money. The point is that all, in their own way, big and small, are trying to help the world figure out how to get through the next Tornado, the next Tsunami, the next Fukashima, the next Holiday Season with the in-laws, the next Day After Tomorrow.

I'm not going to snub my green nose at the LOHAS marketers and the LOHAS consumers because I'm one of them and I want to shop, therefore I am shopping.

Granted, I'm not going to live in a mall and spend the majority of my time thinking about buying stuff. But, I mean, who does? The fact of the matter is, the majority of people, even in wealthier countries, have to work so much now to make ends meet. And, most of these "consumers" aren't exactly raking in so much dough they have nothing better to do than throw their hard earned money out the window as mindless consumers trying to rape the planet of natural resources. They're just trying to get by and put a little comfort and beauty in their lives whether it be falling in love, getting some make up at Sephora, doing some volunteer work or wanting to buy a really nice house and fill it with nice things.

BACK IN BUMBLETOWN

Picture of a Diver descending from the cliffs outside New Paltz, New York into the glacial Lake Minnewaska.

The bus pulls into the New Paltz parking lot. I see the Mohonk Tower in the distance, a vantage point from which one can look out over thousands and thousands of acres of preserved land on and below the Shawangunk Ridge. Just a stones throw from where I stand are glacial lakes with "National Geographic" photo worthy waterfalls and views to die for. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the Starbucks across the street. And, there are a string of restaurants catering to the SUNY New Paltz crowd. Everything from pizza pies to Thai, shawarma, falafel, burgers and beer, sushi, pretty much anything you'd ever want to eat from around the world. Yes, this is the nouveau country, bliss at the end of the road with the rest of the world creeping in. The whole world trying to get away from each other and ending up back together again.

Standing at the bus stop, waiting for my ride, I hold my Chico bag full of LOHAS promotional items. I turn on my new iPAD and check out one of my favorite REM songs, actually a video of it on YouTube. The manic, magical, frenetic, fun words of Michael Stipe wash over me like the pineapple sorbet at Rouge Tomate:

"Uh oh, overflow, population, common food, but it'll do to save
yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs,
listen to your heart bleed.....

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine."

And, I do. Happy Earth Day 2011. My Earth Day greeting is a little late in coming, but here none the less.

Copyright Paul E McGinniss 2011

Check out REM performing "It's the End of the World As We Know It" on the streets of Toronto.

Beyond Oil New York City

2011-03-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Q & A with Dan Miner on Green Real Estate Daily

by Paul McGinniss

Dan Miner wrote the 2008 report "Sustainable Energy Independence for New York City" while Chair of Sierra Club New York City. He co-founded Beyond Oil New York City to "catalyze the transition to a greener, more sustainable and more resilient New York City." A volunteer organizer with Post Carbon Institute and 350.org, Miner has been involved with a variety of urban sustainability volunteer projects including the current White Roof Campaign in New York City. As Senior Vice President of Long Island City Business Development Corporation, Miner promotes green business services to Queens.

Read Here Now

New Plug and Play PV Products will Transform PV Landscape

2011-01-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

Product Pick: The PV Solar Shutter by Plug N Save Energy Products

by Paul McGinniss

The Solar Shutter by Plug N Save Energy Products is made with Bamboo with thin film PV incorporated.

The Solar Shutter from Plug N Save Energy Products is the latest in a new wave of increasingly cheaper, thin film, self-install solar technology products that will help bring affordable DIY Solar Photo Voltaics to the mass market.

San Diego, California-based Plug N Save, led by a father-son team, Dan and Dave Curran, launched their debut product in Fall, 2010 so they could “create an easy way for people to produce their own power and a viable, small step entry into personal power production.”

Plug n Play solar PV systems, basically, allow you to take solar-generated energy and plug it directly into your home electrical system via an electrical outlet. For grid-tied homes, the systems come with inverters to convert the solar generated DC power to AC. (For those off the grid, the DC power generated by the PV can be tied directly to DC lighting and appliances.)

What's great about Plug N Play systems is there's no need for complex installation thus reducing a large cost of solar systems as they are typically installed today. Another great thing about the Plug n Play products is they are portable, meaning, if you “plug n play”, the investment doesn't have to stay tied to a piece of real estate. You can take it with you when you move, so even renters can make the investment.

The Solar Shutter from Plug N Save Energy Products can be made in custom sizes.

I spoke with David Curran, co-owner of Plug N Save and co-inventor of the Solar Shutter, about the flexibility of their PV shutter concept. He elaborated: “Our shutter functions very similar to that of the solar arrays that people place on the roof. It is possible to hook that up into your DC lighting (via) a battery bank or direct wired through an inverter. For an off grid application, I would recommend hooking the shutters up directly to the system you have in place. This shutter will then serve as a supplement to what is already in place.”

I asked David if most people net metered (meaning: to sell the surplus power generated back to the grid) after installing the shutters and he reported: “How this system works is the homes will actually use the power from the shutters first because it is the grid-tied inverter which sends the power collected by the PVs directly into the wall and into the system. So, if enough power is produced by the shutter system that the home is fully offsetting their usage, then they will need some sort of net metering in place.” He explained, when I asked for details on the inverter's component: “The shutter does not directly come with an inverter because we want to allow for the freedom of the owner to be able to hook it into a system they already have or to use a grid-tied inverter that we also offer as an add on for the shutter.”

Many other portable power options are in development. Veranda Solar's Plug N Play concept (pictured above)was designed so it could be affixed to windows or balconies. Panels can be snapped together and plugged in directly to an outlet. (Not available commercially, as of yet.)

So, how easy is it to actually install a Solar Shutter? David explains: “As far as the set-up goes, the grid-tied inverter allows us to make this a DIY application. The inverter is capable of inverting a 250 watt system. So, for systems about that size, this can be installed on your own and is relatively easy to do so. If the system is bigger than 250 watts and you do not want a bunch of grid-tied inverters lying around, we recommend getting a certified electrician to help you either direct wire it or give you the best advice on how you can use the energy (i.e. battery bank).”

The Plug N Save web site explains the watts of power generated by different shutter sizes and the amount of usable power that results. David Curran explained a bit about pricing: “Our grid-tied inverter is capable of having 4 or 5 shutters at a 2x3 ft size hooked up to it. We do not have any prices listed on our website. If you were to ask for a quote from us on a 2x3 ft, it would retail for about $560. We offer quantity pricing and are able to offer specials, also. That price is to give you a basic estimate because each job is custom. So, no exact price is black and white, but that is the general area it would be in. Each grid-tied inverter also costs $120.“

According to Plug N Save: “The PV Solar Shutter is the first in a series of sustainable, life-friendly energy products and solutions designed to make personal power production from renewable sources more accessible.” David Curran said, when asked about future products: “We definitely have a few products in the pipeline with our research and development that would definitely fit into this same category. It is a condo-sized wind generator, but I don’t really want to go too deep into detail because we are working on some proprietary parts of it still.”

Click here for further info about pricing and the amount of power that can be generated by the Solar Shutters.

Another Plug N Play PV product on the market is Clarian Power's SmartBox Plug In Solar Module which has a micro inverter and can be plugged right into an outlet. Pictured above is Clarian Power's "Sunfish" used as an awning.

While the majority of us are still contemplating the return on investment for solar PV and solar thermal systems, many people around the world have eagerly embraced solar and other renewable technology. Granted, in many cases, this is because simple, DIY-style renewable technology is the only alternative to get power where there is none. For these parts of the world population, the many millions, perhaps billions, still accustomed to living without modern conveniences, there was no other practical choice for power except to use thin film PV and other small, renewable, energy-power-generating devices. But, we must not confuse hanging small DIY solar devices on windows, porches and rooftops with a third world mentality. Just because the underprivileged had no choice on how to get access to power does not mean we should not all make the choice they are making, especially now that so many affordable, self-install, portable renewable power devices are finally hitting the American market. Plug N Play products might have been developed first out of third world necessity, but we should all embrace this kind of thinking.

Three Harvard Students designed the Soccket to help bring a fun, affordable lighting solution to developing nations.

Plug N Play portable, renewable energy options will make PV price competitive with grid rates. As the cost of generating power DIY style reaches the price we are paying to the power company, we'd all be foolish if we didn't get a bit of the third world mojo and get some plug n play power systems to slowly wean ourselves from centralized sources of power, most of which are still fossil fuel based.

The Soccket generates power by its own motion and has a rechargeable LED light embedded into it which can pop out after a game.

Some of the most amazing technology and ideas are coming out of the third world paradigm and the whole world should get on board and be part of this creative vortex. One of the coolest products I found last year that was created for developing nations is a soccer ball light called the Soccket. It is charged by the motion of using the soccer ball. It has an LED light embedded right into the usable soccer ball. So, the kids using it can go home after the game and do their homework with the light.

Anyone who has kids or knows kids should buy them one of these balls for a present and inspire them to start powering and empowering themselves. Then, if you have a few extra bucks to splurge - go out and buy your significant other, family or friend their first solar shutter. Tell them there ain't no sunshine (see video below)when they're gone - but there's no reason why they can't generate a few killowats of their own while they're out buying you the solar backpack you've had your eye on.

Copyright 2011 Paul McGinniss

Check out a Music Video of Bill Withers' 1971 Classic "Ain't No Sunshine" below.

Grow Your Own

2010-12-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

How To Avoid Flesh Eating Ghouls In The 21st Century
(Or, was that How to avoid becoming a flesh eating ghoul in the 21st Century?)

by Paul E. McGinniss

In Case of Zombies Photo via InCaseofZombies.com

In the wonderfully bleak post-apocalyptic film, "The Road", an endearing father and son team travel a barren landscape trying to stay alive.

Miracle of Miracles - the father & son characters in the film, "The Road", manage to find what is apparently the last can of Coke left on earth. (A surely nutritious meal to get up the energy necessary to fight off the cannibals.) Photo via IMDB

One of the biggest fears the ragged, dirty and hungry duo have is being eaten by packs of well-armed, low-life cannibals who eat human flesh because, apparently, all other sources of food are gone.

The Father & Son in "The Road" hiding from very hungry cannibals. Photo via IMDB

In the darkly sunny Denzel Washington film, "The Book of Eli", a similar post-Armageddon scenario unfolds with lack of food and cannibalism also running themes.

Two characters (foreground) from "The Book Of Eli" decide to abruptly leave the remote house of what appeared to be a nice old couple when they find out the old couple planned to eat them. Photo via IMDB

Apparently, the dystopian world of the future doesn't include being able to feed yourself, even meagerly. When the inevitable dystopian breakdown of central services occurs, we are left hungry, unable to fend for ourselves. (Just like most of us had to do, not so long ago.)

Luckily, just as I was getting severely depressed about the state of our future dystopia, I watched a marathon session of the delicious series, "The Walking Dead", on cable's AMC.

Hot hunk, good cop and former pizza delivery boy run from the hungry ghouls in "The Walking Dead."

In "The Walking Dead" nightmare future, also involving yet another version of flesh eating ghouls and lack of food, a small group of feisty, still civilized survivors manage to fish and feed themselves off the land without resorting to cannibalism. Albeit, their food growing skills are minimal and leave a lot to be desired, especially since they need to spend so much time making sure they are not eaten by the virus-infected, living-dead cannibals.

Another hunky cop in "The Walking Dead" cooking up some non human flesh meal.

SO, here are some things we ALL need to do to prepare ourselves for whatever the future might include, or not include, such as takeout food or the inevitable flesh eating ghouls that are sure to pop up one way or another:

*Watch "The Road", "The Book of Eli" and "The Walking Dead" to get yourself motivated to have a happy, greener, non-human-flesh-eating future.

*Proclaim 2011 as the "Year of Growing Your Own" and make a vow to discover ways to grow some kind of food, somewhere, whether it be on the barbed wire enclosed roof or in other protected areas free from ghouls.
(Perhaps a local, preferably well-armed, CSA farm would do.)

*Start a seed library to save and store securely as many kind of seeds as possible so you will not be limited in your choice of chow after civilization collapses and all the Zagat guides are burned for fuel.)

*Get some renewable energy of some kind to power your house and grow lights.
(I am not sure of the best kind of renewable power to use if there is some kind of nuclear or volcano induced winter, but I will get back you on that issue asap.)

Happy New Year Everyone! Looking forward to a great 2011!

Copyright 2011 Paul E. McGinniss

PS: No, I am NOT a communist, but everyone should check out Roger Doiron from Kitchen Gardeners International as he talks about the urban food revolution born out of dire necessity in Havana, Cuba. I saw Roger accept an award at the Daily Green's Heart of Green Awards ceremony a few years back and he is someone to keep an eye on.

Havana Homegrown: Inside Cuba's Urban Agriculture Revolution from Kitchen Gardeners on Vimeo.

Check Out My Q & A With The Daily Green's Brian Clark Howard That Was Posted On Green Real Estate Daily

2010-11-22T08:28:00.000-08:00

Brian Clark Howard is a multimedia journalist, editor, writer and photographer based in New York City and Connecticut. He is a web editor at The Daily Green, part of Hearst Digital Media. I've gotten to know Brian over the years, having run into him at everything from Green Drinks NYC events to the awesome Greener Gadgets conferences in Manhattan and Earth Day happenings around the Big Green Apple.

Brian is the co-author of several recent books including "Green Lighting" and "Geothermal HVAC" from McGraw-Hill (2010). I recently spoke with Brian about his new books and some other things!

Here's a link to the Q & A on the Green Real Estate Daily

Click on the video below which was shot & edited by Brian Clark Howard. The video was done with Eco-Chick.com blogger and host, Olivia Zaleski, and is a behind-the-scenes tour of the NYC set for the Project Earth Day Fashion Show which took place in 2007. It's very cool!

The above video, filmed by Brian Clark Howard with Olivia Zaleski as host and Starre Vartan as producer, was recorded the night before the fashion show. Check it out to hear from some of the designers who showed their designs and to learn about the sustainable aspects of the show’s set design. Please click on video to see full frame. Video Courtesy Eco-Chick.

Report From Woodstock Film Festival: Is Eco Film Helping Trigger a Revolution of Renewable Thinking?

2010-10-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

The Film panel entitled "Environmentally Speaking – Improving Our Planet with the Power of Film" shows us how the film world is making a difference

by Paul McGinniss

I was excited to attend the recent Woodstock Film Festival(WFF). I was also lucky to spend some time talking with Brian Geldin of Film Panel Notetaker and Brian Geldin Public Relations, the co-organizer of the "Environmentally Speaking" film panel. The panel gathered some of the film industry's leading voices to talk about the power of film to make an impact in the arena of environmental action. The event was moderated by Lydia Dean Pilcher, President of Cine Mosaic--a New York City-based production company. She is also the Chair of the Producers Guild of America Green Committee.

I met Brian initially at the Woodstock Film Festival's opening party which was held at the great local restaurant "New World Home Cooking". Ilene Marder, Communications Director of the festival, made sure Brian and I connected and had a chance to talk all things green. The panel he co-organized with the Woodstock Film Festival asked the questions: "Can film make an impact on how we take care of our planet? Do we need to be more environmentally responsible in how we make our films to get our messages across? Where is the intersection of making films about the environment and making films that are environmentally conscious?"

Brian Geldin of Brian Geldin Public Relations and the blog, Film Panel Notetaker

I asked Brian how the environmental film panel came about and he told me the history: "Last year, I programmed a similar panel called "How Green Was My Production?" at another film festival, The Royal Flush Festival in New York City, where I gathered filmmakers and green production experts to present case studies of films and TV shows that were greening their sets. While that was very informative, I felt as if there was much more to explore, so I approached Woodstock Film Festival Co-Founder and Director Meira Blaustein at the beginning of 2010 with my idea for "Environmentally Speaking: Improving Our Planet with the Power of Film" where we would focus on a broader discussion that involved both the delivery of environmental storytelling through documentaries and narrative films, and green practices and strategies to move toward carbon neutrality. Once moderator Lydia Dean Pilcher and the panelists were assembled, Lydia and I conceived the questions."

What was great about "Environmentally Speaking – Improving Our Planet with the Power of Film" was that, in addition to exploring how films can positively encourage audiences to be environmentally conscious, it also discussed how filmmakers, film productions and film festivals can be more green. One of the guests on the Woodstock Panel was Larry Fessenden who wrote a book in 1991 called "Low Impact Film Making: A Guide to Environmentally Sound Film and Video Production." Others at the panel included Katie Carpenter who is "a green production consultant and an award-winning documentary producer specializing in environmental subjects from climate change to bio-diversity."

For a full report, go to Brian Geldin's web site The Film Panel Notetaker

Actor and Producer Larry Fessenden (left) and Director Joe Maggio take a peek at how the viewing of their film "Bitter Feast" is going at the Woodstock Film Festival. Image courtesy Woodstock Film Festival.

After the festival, I asked Brian Geldin what he got most out of the "Environmentally Speaking" panel. He reflected: "I had a good understanding of environmental issues and greening practices going into the panel, but I came out with much greater knowledge and a strong desire to become more active and involved in the green film community, especially in the area of film festivals, as that is where I am most involved. I would like to ask the Woodstock Film Festival to complete the Producers Guild of America Green Committee's "carbon calculator" to determine its carbon footprint, and then set goals for next year's festival to improve its environmental impact."

At the WFF, I also caught the film "Windfall" about the controversy in upstate New York over industrial wind turbines (think 400 feet tall) in rural residential settings. I also saw the fantastic film about Ray Kurzweil, "The Singularity Is Near", which explores our future and includes a mention of nanotechnology solar panels that will be super affordable and enable us to power our entire planet cleanly by the abundant rays of the sun. I'm writing about both films next month in "New York House" magazine so check out my November Columns of "Our Green Future" and "What You Don't Know."

The Cast and Crew of INUK attend the film screening party of "Lennon NYC" at the Woodstock Film Festival. INUK is a film set in Arctic Greenland, a country being seriously affected by climate change. Image courtesy Woodstock Film Festival.

In conclusion, I have to mention that I wrote a previous post on this blog about Planet Green TV called "Saving the World By Turning on Your Television." So, the Woodstock Film Festival event, "Environmentally Speaking – Improving Our Planet with the Power of Film", was close to my heart.

I'm a big believer in the social and political power of eco cinema. I've personally witnessed how filmmakers whom I've met, namely Josh Fox of "GASLAND" and Josh Tickell of "FUEL", have made real impact by telling powerful stories through film and inspiring audiences in person at film screenings to take action to make change. Larger budget feature films, along with such documentary films and grassroots efforts, can also have a significant impact. "Erin Brockovich" (starring Julia Roberts) and "A Civil Action" (starring John Travolta) are but two examples of Hollywood movies that are extremely entertaining, but also serve as an awakening and a call to arms regarding serious environmental issues. Both were artful films that made me care about the characters as much the issue affecting their lives. Both actually managed to get me inspired AND motivated (angry even) to make people more aware about the true stories of criminal pollution such as those depicted in all of these films, and encouraging a holding of responsibility for corporate practices that harm the environment.

Copyright 2010 Paul McGinniss

For an example of the best in powerful films making an impact, check out (below) the official trailer for the documentary film "CRUDE". (PLEASE click below twice and video will open full screen in new tab)

The documentary film "CRUDE" by Joe Berlinger tells the story of grassroots environmental action in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador where 30,000 indigenous residents of the Amazon have sued Chevron over alleged contamination of the rainforest.

How Big Bucks Competitions To Solve Problems Are Changing the World

2010-09-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Open Source Competitions With Serious Prize Money Create International Strategies To Solve Problems

by Paul McGinniss

2010 Award Ceremony for the Zayed Future Energy Prize, Abu Dhabi

What's the incentive to solve worldwide problems so large the solutions almost seem impossible? How about multi million dollar prizes and access to the most powerful people in the world to realize your dreams? In the past few years there's been a renaissance of world-changing competitions that are sparking international scientific research and creating incredible, socially-conscious dialog. This groundbreaking paradigm is called incentivized competition. The dynamic competition process unifies students and corporate leaders, academics and entrepreneurs, world leaders and diverse populations.

Here are some of the World Competitions that were established to tackle specific problems in exciting and profound ways:

Zayed Future Energy Prize: Middle East Efforts For A Clean Energy Future

One of the coolest prizes to be launched in the past few years is the Zayed Future Energy Prize which was started by the United Arab Emirates in 2008. The prize is named after the late Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the former ruler of Abu Dhabi and founding father of the U.A.E. The yearly prize awards $1.5 million to individuals, NGOs, corporations or other organizations "for their excellence in the innovation, development and implementation of sustainable energy solutions." Up to two finalists will also receive $350,000 each. The prize "seeks to encourage innovation across a wide spectrum of renewable energy solutions, energy conservation and sustainability."

The Zayed prize demonstrates the amazing interest around the world in these large prize competitions. In 2009 there were just 204 entries to the Zayed Future Energy Prize, but the 2011 Prize competition has exploded to 633 entries from 86 countries. (Applications for the 2011 prize are open until Oct 8, 2010.)

The Zayed prize also demonstrates the range and diversity of organizations that participate in this open source, international exchange of ideas. The 2010 Prize was won by the large corporation, Toyota, for the company's groundbreaking fuel efficiency system in the third generation Prius. On the other end of the spectrum, one of the other winners of the 2010 prize was International Development Enterprises which was selected for its successful deployment of low cost, energy saving irrigation technology for small scale farmers in India. Judges for the 2011 prize include architect extraordinaire Lord Norman Foster, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, President of Iceland and Susan Hockfield, President of M.I.T.

The X Prize Foundation: Mind Blowing Brilliance

The X Prize Foundation has a motto: "Revolution Through Competition". Revolutionary, indeed. The foundation is an educational non-profit that designs and administers competitions with prizes of up to $30 million. Yes, you read that correctly--up to $30 million dollars! That's serious money and it's no surprise there's great interest from Pakistan to Peoria in the X Prize competitions.

I've been to X Prize events and I can tell you what they are doing is incredibly exciting and inspirational. The foundation was established "to bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity." The X Prize Foundation states: "We believe that a small group of people with passion for a cause can achieve that which has never been attained. This is why we stage competitions that challenge issues that matter most."

The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE was one of the latest efforts from the X PRIZE Foundation. Three teams were awarded part of a $10 million purse for developing super fuel-efficient vehicles. The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE was launched in 2008 to inspire a new generation of viable, safe and super fuel-efficient vehicles capable of achieving at least 100 miles per gallon or the energy equivalent (MPGe).

The X PRIZE Foundation, like the Zayed Future Energy Prize, also focuses on needs in the developing world. It is now working on a new prize with the Government of India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Indian Institute of Technology to create a global competition to develop and deploy clean and efficient cookstoves. Details of the competition, including the announcement of the launch date, prize purse and competition guidelines, are forthcoming.

Saltire Prize: Scottish Prize to Tap Into Wave Power

The Government of Scotland has organized a 10 million pound competition to seek the best ways to tap into the world's wave power to generate clean electricity. The purpose of the Saltire Prize is "to stimulate innovation across the world that will lead to delivery of commercial scale wave or tidal stream energy technology." £10 million will be awarded to the team that can demonstrate in Scottish waters a commercially viable wave or tidal stream energy technology that achieves the greatest volume of electrical output over the set minimum hurdle of 100 GWh over a continuous 2 year period using only the power of the sea. Applications are due by 2015.

The Scottish Government was motivated by a number of factors in setting this challenge including the following. Inspiring innovation that will help to harness Scotland's immense marine energy resources and achieve the national renewable energy target of 50% of Scotland's electricity consumption being generated through renewable sources by 2020. And, inspiring innovation that will help to achieve Scotland's carbon reduction target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.

Copyright 2010 Paul McGinniss

Passive House Concept from Germany Taking Off In America

2010-08-13T09:31:00.001-07:00

The R House Project in Syracuse, New York Shows That
Zero Energy Homes Are More About Smart Design & Building Than Renewable Technology

by Paul McGinniss

View from Backyard of R House in Syracuse which is now being built as part of "From the Ground Up" building competition. The home was designed to fit into an existing urban landscape.

The R House was one of the winners of a recent building competition called "From the Ground Up" which was held in conjunction with the Syracuse Center of Excellence and Syracuse-based Home Headquarters as part of their initiative to revitalize the near west side neighborhood of Syracuse.

A goal of the competition was "to draw out the most advanced thinking about design, sustainability, and cost-effective building practices." And, draw out the most advanced, cost-effective thinking, it did. The 1,150 sf R House, which has an additional 1,150 sf in the basement, was built for only $125,000 and was designed to be an almost-zero-energy home, meaning it will consume almost no energy at all. The small amount of energy it uses can be easily offset by adding some minimal renewable technology.

Picture of R House Model at various proposed locations in Syracuse.

The home was built according to the Passive House (Passivhaus in German)
criteria which adheres to the concept that homes can be so well designed and built they need no conventional heating and cooling systems whatsoever. The R House is one of only a few homes in the U.S. built under the standards established by the Passiv Haus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany.

David White of Brooklyn-based Right Environments consulted on the project and explained some technical details: "The main heating system is a hot water coil in the fresh air stream. This is the classic Passive House heating system. The original Passivhaus concept was based on heating the house by doing no more than heating up the (circulating) fresh air (which was needed anyway for hygienic reasons). This eliminated the normal boiler, pump, hot water piping and radiator with thermostat in every room that is typical in Germany where the Passivhaus system originated."

Picture of R House under construction this summer. Competing teams in the "Built From the Ground Up" competition had eight weeks to develop designs for a low-cost, sustainable home capable of being built for no more than $150,000 inclusive of fees and site work.

The R of R House refers to R value of insulation and it was no huge surprise to learn the house has R-70 insulation and an extra thick frame filled with blown cellulose insulation that creates an air tight house.

The design of R House was a collaborative process executed by the team of NYC-based architects Della Valle Bernheimer and Architecture Research Office. David White reported that he "introduced the Passive House concept to the team, critiqued many iterations of formal concepts, gave guidelines for glazing ratios, developed the construction details for thermal insulation and air tightness, did all the energy and peak load calculations, designed the entire mechanical system and trouble shot the air leakage."

Picture of R House Initial Frame. The finished interior will have insulation that is 16" deep with a value of approximately R-70.

Garrick Jones, studio director of Della Valle Bernheimer, was very excited to be part of the R House project and told me: "The Passive House tenets are hard to achieve, but basic. In a Passive House it takes very little energy to heat and cool. We incorporated an HRV system which captures the heat as it exhausts the air. The home is inspired by the Passive House model which is an amalgamation of thirty years of green and net zero practices." Garrick emphasized the basic tenets of Passive House design: "Design an air tight envelope, have high R value walls and windows, locate and size the windows correctly and utilize passive solar gain from the south."

Garrick Jones let me in on some breaking news. Della Valle Bernheimer has developed a pre fab inspired by Passive House principles to market with Hometta, a design-oriented home company. (Garrick Jones clarified that the Hometta design is based on Passive House principles but is not necessarily to be designed and/or built strictly by Passive House standards and registered and tested by the Passive House Institute.)

In speaking with members of the team behind R House, I learned that the house was not exactly net zero energy. The house uses natural gas to heat both the hot water and heating coil in the air system. This I did not like because of my aversion to Natural Gas and all the downsides and environmental costs associated with extracting gas from the ground, especially by hydraulic fracturing. The R House also has a few small electric heaters as back up.

But, all in all, the R House performs extremely well, using a small fraction of the energy that similar sized homes use. Besides, for not an unreasonable additional up front cost, the gas used in the R House could be offset by investing in a solar thermal hot water system. Or, the home could utilize an on demand electric hot water heater for the domestic hot water and to heat the heating coil for the air system. The electric used by the on demand heater could easily be offset with a small solar PV system.

David White explained further: "On the coldest day of the year a typical passive house can be heated with the amount of energy from a hair dryer. Strictly speaking, we did not get that low. The amount of glass made it so that we need about the equivalent of 1.5 (1 1/2) hair dryers or so, although all that glass also means less energy used over the course of the winter." (As a result of passive solar gain.)

The R House designers state: "Wrapped within its iconic exterior are expansive and luminous spaces..."

The real exciting point to the Passive House concept is it shows us how to practically build an almost zero net energy home which does not over rely on expensive renewable technology or fancy bells and whistles. Yes, Green technology is extremely important. Yet, technology can almost make us immune to understanding that energy efficiency and cutting back on the initial consumption and demand for power is far more renewable than the renewable technology that is breaking into the market.

The R House and Passive House concept stands as a testament that building zero energy homes, even in climates that can get very cold and/or very hot, is feasible and affordable right now and not just in the far distant future. There is just no excuse not to do it.

The designers of the R House intended to "present an affordable, innovative paradigm for minimal to net-zero energy consumption embodied in architecture that is meant to nurture the spirit and engage the community as much as it is meant to perform in terms of cost and sustainability."

I spoke with inventor Brian Wiley of Wiley Electronics who plans to build a Passive House in Ulster County, NY. In explaining why he chose to build a Passive House, Brian said he was not happy with the way most people were building homes today. So, he took a Passive House training course in Boston to learn how to build his own home in Woodstock, NY. Brian was very enthusiastic about the training program: "The great thing was to connect with a lot of people building this way. The Passive House idea is to reduce the amount of energy needed. Reducing energy needed is so much easier to fulfill than finding new sources of energy."

The R House and the Passive House building method demonstrates that hi tech green building is low tech to start and, really, a simple concept.

As Russian poet and writer Boris Pasternak--author of the legendary novel Doctor Zhivago--told his ambitious friend Vladimir Mayakovsky--the futurist Russian revolutionary writer who wanted desperately to change the world: "Despite all your grand schemes and revelations, sometimes simplicity is the greatest need."

For more information about Passive Houses check out the Passive Institute US (PHIUS)

Copyright 2010 Paul McGinniss

CHECK OUT THIS INFORMATIVE VIDEO ABOUT THE R HOUSE
(PLEASE click twice so video opens full screen in new tab)

LUMENHAUS: A brighter way. Everyday.

2010-06-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO DAYLIGHT: Virginia Tech's LUMENHAUS Snags Top Prize at European Solar Decathlon

By Paul McGinniss

The LUMENHAUS at Times Square in NYC before it traveled to Madrid, Spain

The Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon team is flying like a high altitude wind turbine after winning the amazing European Solar Decathlon which just took place June 18th - 27th in Madrid, Spain. With 17 University teams from 7 countries (China, Spain, Finland, United Kingdom, United States, Germany), the competition to build the most efficient and clever zero energy home is a sister show to the United States Department of Energy Solar Decathlon which takes place every two years on the Mall in Washington, DC.

Virginia Tech's win comes after years of hard work and research. The school has participated in four previous Solar Decathlons including the U.S. Department of Energy Sponsored 2009 Solar Decathlon where the university placed only 13th with its entry.

LUEMNHAUS on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. During the United States Department of Energy 2009 Solar Decathlon

When Virginia Tech took the top honors at the Solar Decathlon Europe awards ceremony last week in Madrid, Spain, they received a standing ovation. Teams from Germany won both the 2007 and 2009 U.S. Solar Decathlon, so it was great to see a team from America so honored while besting the German team and the other exciting, cutting edge, zero energy concept homes from around the world. This win by an American University is of particular importance for our country. The United States is behind the curve on use of renewable energy systems and there is a crucial need to encourage deployment of renewable technologies. Countries such as Germany consistently outperform America in both manufacturing and use of practical, affordable renewable energy systems for homes and buildings. The United States needs to be at the forefront of renewables both for economic and security issues.

The Student Team from Virginia Tech with Secretary of the U.S. Dept of Energy, Steven Chu

The importance of the United States participating in and winning international competitions supporting renewable energy use in homes can not be overstated. Breakthrough Institute senior adviser and Stanford University professor, Teryn Norris, recently referred in an email blast to a new Time Magazine Special History Issue which reports that "clean power could be to the
21st century what aeronautics and the computer were to the 20th, but the U.S. is already falling behind. China, South Korea and Japan are set to invest more than $500 billion combined in clean technology over the next five years, while the U.S. is likely to invest less than $200 billion, and that’s assuming [current] clean-energy legislation makes it into law. Meanwhile, Congress remains largely paralyzed."

Members of the Virginia Tech Lumenhaus team celebrate victory.

Teryn Norris, who is also Director & Founder of Americans for Energy Leadership,
goes on to state: "When the United States aims to overcome a challenge -- be it defeating fascism, leading the space race, or winning the Cold War -- we make a national commitment and invest the necessary resources. The federal government currently invests $30 billion per year in health R&D through the National Institutes of Health, and $80 billion per year in military R&D. Energy receives $3 to $5 billion -- less than our national expenditure on potato chips."

Over 190,000 visited "Villa Solar" where the student teams built the homes in Madrid. The European Solar Decathlon reported: "Today, the Villa Solar has closed its doors, after 10 days of competition, with the last award ceremony announcing the winner of the Solar Decathlon Europe. The house, LUMENHAUS, from the team from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, has been pronounced the most efficient of the competition, and following it in second and third place, respectively, were the University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim and the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences."

Below is information from Virgina Tech and the U.S DOE Solar Decathlon which details components of the Virginia Tech House:

Inspiration

The Virgina Tech team reports that LUMENHAUS was "Inspired by the Farnsworth House by Mies Van Der Rohe, and the house offers an open configuration which connects the house's inhabitants to the outdoors.

Design

The interior and exterior of the house are joined together by a smooth transition when the Eclipsis System is open, contributing to a feeling of transparency. When the weather is nice, the windows can be opened to expand both the physical and psychological appearance of the space. The floor of the house doubles in size, and the southern and northern walls disappear to make the rooms seem as if they have no barriers or limitations. The multilayered wall-changing system allows for various forms of spatial organization and therefore different perceptions of the house. The central core plays an important role in allowing different configurations in the house's interior.

Exterior depicting the Eclipsis System. The Eclipsis system is an advanced building façade comprising two layers: a metal shutter shade and a translucent insulating panel.

Each area of the house is set up for specific activities, but they are designed to be flexible and can be adjusted according to individual needs. For example, the doors within the central core incorporate the work area, storage and entertainment units, but may be shifted to close off the bedroom from the rest of the house in order to create a more private area. The kitchen can be transformed into a bar, and the dining table can be left outdoors during warm summer evenings. The modular design also means that the entire house is flexible and that multiple units can be connected or placed one above the other (connected by stairs) to create a house with 3 or 4 bedrooms.

Technology

From its construction to its transportation, the house employs responsive architecture and other similarly advanced technological features.

Radiating heat in the concrete floor

The concrete floor features a radiating floor heating system. This heats the house through a geothermal pump which draws in heat during the winter and cools the floor during the summer. This procedure requires less energy use, making the house more efficient. In addition, the geothermal heat pump produces hot water as a byproduct during the summer.

Photovoltaic System

The rooftop photovoltaic system has the ability to vary its angle in order to maximize the efficiency of the power gained from the sun. It is controlled through a computerized user interface that can be connected to an iPhone. In fact, the user can control all of the functions, including the Eclipsis System, the photovoltaic system, the temperature, the electricity and the entertainment devices with the simple use of an iPhone.

Here are some links to news about LUMENHAUS on the green blogosphere:

Inhabitat

Jetson Green

Popular Mechanics

Fast Company

TreeHugger

From its inception, the creation of LUMENHAUS was documented in the ten-minute video produced by Summer Productions. Check it out:

All Pictures Above Courtesy Virginia Tech. Article Text Copyright Paul McGinniss 2010

Wooly Pockets Vertical Garden System

2010-06-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

by Paul McGinniss

I've been feeling a bit guilty about the lack of posts recently. Between my monthly columns at New York House, several book and media projects and, well, life in general, I've had a hard time this past month getting more posts out on this blog. So in lieu of an article, I found a great video on the McGraw Hill Construction Video Library. It's about a company called Woolly Pockets Garden Company which partnered with The New York Restoration Project to construct a planted wall in Manhattan's Union Square.

The temporary garden wall was done to celebrate the recent 40th anniversary of Earth Day. This living wall is gone already, but I thought anyone loving New York City or wanting to grow a garden might want to see how the recent installation was done. The Wooly Pockets growing system is a clever way to create vertical urban gardens. I can imagine them in country settings too - where they'd be great "walls" on the side of a yard or patio area. The Wooly Pockets are made out of recycled PET plastic so they're green in more ways than one. Check out the video below.

BKLYNDESIGNS Sublime Finds

2010-05-15T16:56:00.001-07:00

The 8th Annual BKLYNDESIGNS Offered Up Some Tasty Locavore Design Treats.

by Paul McGinniss

NYC Interior Designer, Kelly McGinniss, relaxes on UHURU's chair made of reclaimed wood salvaged from the Coney Island Boardwalk.

It's been said in Big Apple real estate lingo that Brooklyn is the new Manhattan. But, it's BKLYN, thank you very much. And, maybe BKLYN isn't so much the new Manhattan as it's a mini Milan--as in Milan Furniture Fair. This thought took shape last weekend while observing some pretty GRVY international design denizens milling around catching the laid back vibe at BKLYNDESIGNS which features only products made in BKLYN.

St. Ann's Warehouse in DUMBO, NYC

NYC Interior Designer, Kelly McGinniss, and I stumbled onto some cool products and people that showed the depth of creative sustainable design energy lurking out there in BKLYN. The creativity seems to emanate from all parts of Brooklyn-everywhere from DUMBO, where BKLYN Designs took place at St. Ann's Warehouse, to Greenpoint to Red Hook, where the folks at UHURU have been conjuring up some amazing objects for years running.

Erica Rosenfeld of Auster PR Agency which promotes BKLYNDESIGNS

Some Highlights below.

INHABITAT BKLYNDESIGNS Green Awards

The editors of Inhabitat were on hand to hand out awards to some of the designers at BKLYNDESIGNS. Inhabitat is one of my daily reads along with TreeHugger and my other fav e-news blasts. I got a chuckle from the Inhabitats upon asking if they were "Inhabitats" or "Inhabitots", the latter a reference to Inhabitots which is the "kid" version of Inhabitats. I love the positive energy of Jill Fehrenbacher and the Inhabitat posse. They are a shining example of the dynamic green energy in NYC. They celebrate the creative design happening in the Big Green Apple while bringing news of the best international design back home. Indeed, as Inhabitat says: "Design Will Save The World!"

Inhabitat Editors (Left to Right)Rebecca Paul, Yuka Chino, Mike Chino, Jill Fehrenbacher with Kelly McGinniss.

UHURU

Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf, two of the principals of Red Hook based UHURU DESIGN

I have been following UHURU since they founded their company over 5 years ago. They make sublimely beautiful objects meticulously designed with scrap wood. Their new Coney Island Line crafted from reclaimed wood salvaged from the legendary Coney Island Boardwalk is incredible.

MADBUTTER

Madbutter installation at BKLYNDESIGNS

Madbutter's interactive LED video installations might not make sense for the average home or apartment. However, they definitely would be a dynamic visual statement at a club or public venue. The holodec-like display at BKLYNDESIGNS was interactive. By either touching or walking on the screens, the color and light changed.

ANDRE JOYAU

Andre Joyau with his assistant Angie Higdon.

These two, Andre Joyau and his assistant, Angie Higdon, were definitely an engaging, feisty pair. The furniture and lighting that Joyau makes is elegant. I felt like sitting down at his booth and having a meal at the long table made from reclaimed wood. When I asked Angie how she would describe the work, she enthused: "Modernism with a soul!"

And, finally...

Corey DiStasio of CoreHealthNY.com.

While conversing at the UHURU booth, Corey Distasio related that he has years of experience in Industrial Design and Design Management. He's now, also, a licensed acupuncturist and expert on Chinese herbs and medicine. He posed an interesting question: "Instead of talking about renovating a home, what if your home renovated you?" I liked Corey's concept that home design should not only feature sustainably made products, comfort and convenience, but also work to create a healing environment. Russian poet and author of Dr. Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, wrote a line in a poem just before he died: "The Whole Wide World is a Cathedral." Indeed, our homes, our places of work, worship and the buildings we create should be places of transendence and healing that reflect the beautiful mystery that is the world. Green Design might not on its own save the world, but it surely has a place in the pantheon of green possibilities that can create a sustainable future while soothing our souls.

Click on For More About BKLYNDESIGNS

Copyright 2010 Paul McGinniss

FUEL: Change Your Fuel Change The World

2010-05-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars!! The FUEL DVD will be available on June 22nd. Let your favorite retailer or online subscription service know you want this DVD!

by Paul McGinniss

One of the most inspirational things I have ever done in my entire life was hang out with filmmaker and environmental advocate and force of nature Josh Tickell in NYC for the 2009 premier of his film FUEL. Before the film premier in Times Square, I road through NYC as part of a Green Vehicle Caravan , along with his co force of nature and partner, writer, actress and environmental advocate, Rebecca Harrell and a dedicated team who had driven across America with them to promote clean energy. I saw first hand what two people can do to change the world. Anyone who has any concern for the state of our planet and who has not seen FUEL needs to get a copy of the FUEL DVD and show it to as many people they know as possible. The FUEL story has at its root, childhood experiences involving family illness, pollution and the gas industry, that Sundance Award winner Josh Tickell had in Louisiana.

Josh says on his web site: "This past month has brought many unexpected events. Earth Day is rarely a time to morn tragedy. But with the events in the Gulf of Mexico and BP’s noncommittal response to demands they clean up their oil spill and pay for the damages, it is clear our movement has a long way to go. To become sustainable, we are going to have to stand strong and stand as a unified force for change. We cannot continue to allow the environmental movement to be categorized as “soft” or “without a backbone.” The continuation of abuse of land, resources and people in Louisiana is a microcosm of what we are allowing to take place all over our planet."

Copyright 2010 Paul McGinniss

The State of [Local] Food

2010-04-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

A live international webcast forum on the Hudson Valley Sustainable Food Movement will take place on May 12th. The event is organized by Hudson Valley Green Drinks and sponsored by Glynwood of Cold Spring, New York.

by Paul McGinniss

If anyone had any doubt that the Hudson Valley was at the forefront of the sustainable food movement, they should attend or watch the live webinar called "The State of [Local] Food" that was organized by Marie Celeste Edwards, founder and chapter coordinator of Hudson Valley Green Drinks. I asked Marie Celeste what inspired her to organize this event and she explained: "The title, The State of [Local] Food, came after really hashing out what am I trying to tell the world here? The Sustainable Food Movement is alive, growing and, for the most part, healthy, but help is still needed."

Photo Courtesy Glynwood. Glynwood’s mission is to help communities in the Northeast save farming.

The moderator of "The State of [Local] Food" will be Diane Hatz of The Meatrix and Sustainable Table fame. Diane Hatz is also Co-Founder and Director of the Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming. As part of this live webinar, Glynwood’s President, Judith LaBelle, will give a presentation on The State of [Local] Food. Marie Celeste enthused about the upcoming webinar: "The Hudson Valley is full of fantastic people doing wonderful new things in sustainable food production. This happening creates an opportunity for us to showcase a few of them to the world."

Photo Courtesy Glynwood

As an Ulster County, New York resident, I have to give kudos to the organizers and participants of this event. The more farms we can save, the more land we can make productive generators of healthy food, the closer we are to creating a region that is self sustaining. Participants of the webinar include: Ken Greene of the Hudson Valley Seed Library, Jill Rubin of the Phillies Bridge Farm Project, Mike Picinelli of Thunderhill Farm, Chris Harp, the “Bee Doctor”, Jim Hyland of Winter Sun Farms and Marcus Guiliano of Aroma Thyme Bistro.

The event will be held Wednesday, May 12, 2010 from 6:30pm-10:00pm at The Rhinecliff Hotel, 4 Grinnell Street, Rhinecliff, NY. (Cost is $5 at the door and a business card to check-in. Cash bar and hors d'oeuvres are compliments of HVGD.)

Anyone wanting to attend the live event, instead of tuning into the webinar, should RSVP by the end of biz on May 11th. (RSVP to mce@hvgreendrinks.org)

Here is the link to tuning in on line

GREEN DRINKS USA & GREEN DRINKS INTERNATIONAL TIE IN

What's cool about this local event is that Hudson Valley Green Drinks has contacted other Green Drinks chapters to post the webinar on their websites and to participate online. 30 chapters of Green Drinks around the world have signed on already including Green Drinks NYC, Annapolis, Maryland; Las Vegas, Nevada; and chapters in New Zealand and Canada. Green Drinks is a world wide phenomena with chapters in almost 700 cities on every continent. This writer is a huge fan of Green Drinks as a social and enviromental force and over the years I have been a big supporter of Margaret Lydecker and Green Drinks NYC, the largest Green Drinks Chapter in the world.

As Hudson Valley Green Drinks' Marie Celeste passionately explained: "The people that are running Green Drinks chapters with their hearts in the right places are doing amazing work and I'm proud to be among them. I personally long to be more connected to the greater Green Drinks community and this is the first vehicle that's come along that makes it look like that's posssible. From those chapters that have responded, they too want more connection and the excitement they've demonstrated through their emails has fueled me through the late nights of pre-event prep!"

Copyright 2010 Paul McGinniss

Check out the video below about Glynwood